Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kiambu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiambu: $503 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kiambu
Learn more

Kiambu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kiambu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kiambu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $503 in Kiambu.

Phuket $1,278
Kiambu $503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $823 in Kiambu.

Phuket $2,216
Kiambu $823

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,143 in Kiambu.

Phuket $3,154
Kiambu $1,143

Living in Phuket is roughly 154% more expensive than in Kiambu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kiambu 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.41 KES 833

-30.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$34.12 KES 4,431

-5.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.52 KES 847

35.12%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.60 KES 337

8.85%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.64 KES 83.4

35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.62 KES 81.1

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.26 KES 293

13.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.62 KES 340

40.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.54 KES 70.8

207.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.55 KES 71.5

165.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.83 KES 237

-18.03%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.37 KES 179

52.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.71 KES 1,391

78.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.67 KES 866

-50.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.01 KES 520

172.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.50 KES 455

-16.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.04 KES 135

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.75 KES 97.0

200.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.59 KES 77.1

252.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.72 KES 93.7

109.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.71 KES 92.5

94.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.30 KES 38.52

256.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.37 KES 47.84

40.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.39 KES 440

23.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.49 KES 1,493

63.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.27 KES 295

-19.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.70 KES 350

5.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.63 KES 81.3

130.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.51 KES 196

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.36 KES 47.33

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.81 KES 365

31.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.60 KES 208

-8.13%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.2K KES 2.5M

39.34%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$21.6K KES 2.8M

23.53%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$56.4 KES 7,320

70.92%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.86 KES 1,020

43.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$35.13 KES 4,562

-52.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.82 KES 755

28.87%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$280 KES 36.4K

69.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$12.5K KES 1.6M

-9.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$27.56 KES 3,579

126.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$29.19 KES 3,791

-2.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$70.1 KES 9,109

34.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$57.5 KES 7,466

49.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$116 KES 15.0K

518.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,175 KES 152.6K

255.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$125 KES 16.3K

300.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.71

-62.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kiambu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kiambu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kiambu

$180 35.8% 32.4% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kiambu

$99 19.7% 20.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kiambu

$83 16.5% 31.9% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kiambu

$124 24.6% 1.6% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kiambu

$12 * 2.3% 85.9% $71

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kiambu

$5.8 * 1.2% 91.7% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $116 in Kiambu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $34 in Kiambu. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $180, with Kiambu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇪 Kiambu

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

04:21 4:21 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

147,870

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kiambu 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kiambu

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 Kiambu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kiambu is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $116 in Kiambu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $280 in Kiambu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $34 in Kiambu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $503 in Kiambu versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kiambu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kiambu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Kiambu wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.