Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kayfan

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,453 in Kayfan, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Kayfan
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Kayfan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kayfan

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kayfan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Kayfan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,453 in Kayfan, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kayfan $1,453

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,264 in Kayfan, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kayfan $2,264

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,074 in Kayfan, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kayfan $3,074

Phuket is about 12% cheaper than Kayfan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Kayfan is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.84 KWD 3.96

-65.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$65.6 KWD 20.22

-50.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.10 KWD 2.80

-3.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 KWD 1.47

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.31 KWD 1.64

-46.70%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.70 KWD 0.22

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.29 KWD 0.09

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.62 KWD 0.50

2.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.51 KWD 0.47

-3.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.92 KWD 0.59

-21.87%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.08 KWD 0.64

0.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.46 KWD 1.37

327.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.85 KWD 2.11

-51.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.06 KWD 3.10

8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.39 KWD 0.74

22.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.88 KWD 0.58

-10.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.86 KWD 0.57

20.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.55 KWD 0.48

34.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.36 KWD 0.42

11.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.48 KWD 0.46

-6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$2.38 KWD 0.73

-55.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.58 KWD 0.18

-10.34%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.31 KWD 1.02

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 KWD 0.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.80 KWD 0.86

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.71 KWD 0.22

104.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.94 KWD 1.52

-38.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$3.27 KWD 1.01

-68.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$16.37 KWD 5.04

-77.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$0.33 KWD 0.10

345.45%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$23.7K KWD 7,308

12.92%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$19.5K KWD 6,015

36.76%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$96.4 ฿3,250

$64.9 KWD 19.99

48.57%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.26 ฿380

$22.28 KWD 6.87

-49.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$29.52 KWD 9.10

-42.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$93.0 KWD 28.65

-27.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.94 KWD 3.99

-42.04%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$476 ฿16.1K

$503 KWD 155

-5.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$9,302 KWD 2,867

21.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$37.26 KWD 11.48

67.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$39.97 KWD 12.32

-28.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$97.8 KWD 30.13

-3.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$88.9 KWD 27.38

-3.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$845 KWD 260

-15.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$690 KWD 213

-28.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,619 KWD 499

19.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,192 KWD 368

19.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,990 KWD 1,230

-87.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.53

-14.70%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kayfan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kayfan

$690 47.5% 40.6% $199

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kayfan

$187 12.9% 29.7% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kayfan

$117 8% 6.3% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kayfan

$119 8.2% 2.6% $3.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kayfan

$198 13.6% 62.4% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kayfan

$119 8.2% 44.5% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kayfan

$24 * 1.7% 65.8% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $845 in Kayfan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kayfan are about 7.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $66 in Kayfan. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $187 in Kayfan – so Kayfan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇼 Kayfan

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.344 KWD (1 KWD = 2.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kayfan 5,770 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kayfan

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Kayfan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kayfan costs about 14% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,180 in Kayfan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $845 in Kayfan.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,453 in Kayfan. That makes Phuket about 12% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $503 in Kayfan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kayfan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.