Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kelibia

For one person, living is cheaper in Kelibia: $641 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Kelibia, Tunisia
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Kelibia
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$641
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kelibia

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 Kelibia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $641 in Kelibia.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Kelibia $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,000 in Kelibia.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Kelibia $1,000

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,359 in Kelibia.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Kelibia $1,359

Living in Phuket is roughly 99% more expensive than in Kelibia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kelibia 53% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Kelibia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$2.75 TND 8.27
62.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$13.65 TND 41.13
137.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$3.31 TND 9.96
166.16%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$0.62 TND 1.86
356.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$0.52 TND 1.56
67.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$0.27 TND 0.82
81.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$1.66 TND 5.00
54.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$1.69 TND 5.10
117.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Kelibia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$0.42 TND 1.26
295.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$0.17 TND 0.53
758.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$1.84 TND 5.54
-18.48%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.42 TND 4.29
47.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$14.63 TND 44.06
30.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$6.17 TND 18.59
-46.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$14.85 TND 44.73
-26.53%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$1.15 TND 3.47
154.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$2.64 TND 7.96
-35.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$0.72 TND 2.16
212.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$0.65 TND 1.97
220.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.65 TND 1.96
132.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$0.79 TND 2.38
74.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$0.45 TND 1.36
137.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$0.26 TND 0.78
100.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$3.38 TND 10.18
24.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$5.01 TND 15.08
275.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.23 TND 3.71
47.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.36 TND 4.10
108.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Kelibia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$0.35 TND 1.06
314.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$10.02 TND 30.20
465.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$0.31 TND 0.94
874.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$0.33 TND 0.98
209.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$4.07 TND 12.26
-9.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$0.83 TND 2.49
77.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$40.0K TND 120.4K
-33.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$35.8K TND 107.9K
-25.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Kelibia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$43.10 TND 130
123.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$10.31 TND 31.05
9.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$17.03 TND 51.3
-1.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Kelibia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$15.89 TND 47.85
323.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$12.25 TND 36.90
-12.41%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$3.42 TND 10.29
119.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Kelibia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$61.5 TND 185
673.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$1,926 TND 5,802
484.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Kelibia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$46.80 TND 141
33.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$67.0 TND 202
-57.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$110 TND 330
-13.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$67.1 TND 202
27.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Kelibia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$204 TND 616
250.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$157 TND 472
213.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$368 TND 1,107
424.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$270 TND 814
429.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$958 TND 2,886
335.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$612 TND 1,843
397.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Kelibia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$236 TND 712
112.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
11
-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kelibia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Kelibia
$157 68.1% $334
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Kelibia
$193 27.4% $73
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Kelibia
$70 43.4% $54
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Kelibia
$131 7.2% $8.8
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Kelibia
$54 55.5% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Kelibia
$23 72.4% $60
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Kelibia
$13 81.1% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $204 in Kelibia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $14 in Kelibia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $193 per month, with Kelibia cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇹🇳 Kelibia
🕒 Local time
20:00 8:00 PM
14:00 2:00 PM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
58,491
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Kelibia 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Kelibia

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 Kelibia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kelibia cheaper than Phuket?
Kelibia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 99% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Kelibia?
Average pay in Phuket is about 2.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Kelibia?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $204 in Kelibia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Kelibia runs roughly 82% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $62 in Kelibia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Kelibia?
At $641 in Kelibia versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kelibia but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kelibia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Kelibia?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Kelibia?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Kelibia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Kelibia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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