Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kigali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kigali: $881 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Kigali
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Kigali Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kigali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $881 in Kigali.

Phuket $1,278
Kigali $881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,373 in Kigali.

Phuket $2,216
Kigali $1,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,865 in Kigali.

Phuket $3,154
Kigali $1,865

Living in Phuket is roughly 45% more expensive than in Kigali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kigali 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.74 RWF 4,030

63.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$30.98 RWF 45.6K

4.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.89 RWF 10.1K

27.87%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.44 RWF 3,586

15.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.80 RWF 1,170

8.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.58 RWF 857

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.04 RWF 1,525

146.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.42 RWF 3,555

52.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.85 RWF 1,255

95.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.02 RWF 1,506

43.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.31 RWF 1,931

14.50%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.68 RWF 2,469

24.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$4.11 RWF 6,046

363.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.63 RWF 6,804

-28.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.43 RWF 6,523

146.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.43 RWF 3,569

20.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.77 RWF 1,132

119.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.55 RWF 2,284

45.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.08 RWF 1,585

92.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.48 RWF 702

214.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.71 RWF 1,040

94.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.66 RWF 971

62.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.80 RWF 1,172

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.98 RWF 2,915

112.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.11 RWF 14.9K

85.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.04 RWF 1,529

75.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.54 RWF 2,265

84.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.35 RWF 516

314.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$25.84 RWF 38.0K

119.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.76 RWF 4,059

9.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.98 RWF 2,915

-48.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.41 RWF 5,024

8.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.88 RWF 2,770

-21.81%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$26.3K RWF 38.7M

1.76%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$29.9K RWF 44.0M

-10.76%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$83.6 RWF 123.0K

15.21%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.96 RWF 10.2K

61.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$21.33 RWF 31.4K

-21.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$29.27 RWF 43.1K

129.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$4.15 RWF 6,109

158.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.47 RWF 5,102

116.14%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$111 RWF 163.4K

328.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$9,515 RWF 14.0M

18.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$17.52 RWF 25.8K

255.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$15.25 RWF 22.4K

86.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$22.03 RWF 32.4K

328.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$33.75 RWF 49.6K

154.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$672 RWF 988.3K

6.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$415 RWF 610.0K

18.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,358 RWF 2.0M

41.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$838 RWF 1.2M

70.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,389 RWF 5.0M

23.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,078 RWF 4.5M

-1.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$279 RWF 410.7K

79.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.2

-65.62%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kigali: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kigali

$415 47.1% 15.5% $76

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kigali

$151 17.2% 43.1% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kigali

$112 12.7% 10.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kigali

$40 4.5% 67.3% $82

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kigali

$87 9.9% 28.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kigali

$36 4.1% 56% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kigali

$40 4.5% 43.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $672 in Kigali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 80% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $31 in Kigali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $151 per month, with Kigali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇼 Kigali

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

22:22 10:22 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,132,686 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,638 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kigali 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kigali

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 Kigali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kigali wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kigali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Phuket, 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 $672 in Kigali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kigali – a meal for two runs $31 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Kigali is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kigali delivers better value at $881 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kigali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Kigali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kigali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.