Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kireka

For one person, living is cheaper in Kireka: $493 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kireka
Learn more

Kireka Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kireka

🇺🇬 Uganda

$493

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kireka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $493 in Kireka.

Phuket $1,278
Kireka $493

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $654 in Kireka.

Phuket $2,216
Kireka $654

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $816 in Kireka.

Phuket $3,154
Kireka $816

Living in Phuket is roughly 159% more expensive than in Kireka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kireka 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.46 UGX 6,394

206.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$11.84 UGX 51.9K

173.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.03 UGX 30.8K

25.32%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.90 UGX 8,315

48.95%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.25 UGX 1,102

248.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.25 UGX 1,100

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.00 UGX 4,378

156.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.66 UGX 7,269

121.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.47 UGX 2,051

253.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.58 UGX 2,562

151.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.05 UGX 4,620

42.86%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.53 UGX 6,706

36.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$4.35 UGX 19.1K

338.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.50 UGX 19.7K

-26.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.64 UGX 20.3K

135.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.08 UGX 9,116

40.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.22 UGX 5,334

38.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.29 UGX 5,632

74.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.13 UGX 4,945

84.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.18 UGX 5,179

27.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.18 UGX 5,169

16.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.77 UGX 3,376

38.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.46 UGX 2,009

13.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.48 UGX 10.8K

69.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$7.01 UGX 30.7K

168.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.83 UGX 3,621

119.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.91 UGX 8,373

48.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.46 UGX 1,999

215.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.47 UGX 2,040

542.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.23 UGX 1,001

343.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$1.23 UGX 5,388

200.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.39 UGX 6,082

5.76%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$7,252 UGX 31.8M

269.22%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$7,188 UGX 31.5M

271.31%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$67.7 UGX 296.5K

42.34%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.17 UGX 48.9K

0.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$33.75 UGX 147.8K

-50.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$36.41 UGX 159.5K

84.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.28 UGX 31.9K

3.02%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$72.8 UGX 318.7K

554.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$1,705 UGX 7.5M

560.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$11.03 UGX 48.3K

465.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$12.77 UGX 55.9K

122.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$28.47 UGX 124.7K

231.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$36.07 UGX 158.0K

137.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$165 UGX 723.9K

333.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$84.6 UGX 370.6K

480.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

20.75

-73.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kireka: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kireka

$85 17.2% 82.8% $406

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kireka

$135 27.5% 49.2% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kireka

$113 22.9% 9.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kireka

$40 8.1% 67.4% $82

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kireka

$66 13.4% 45.9% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kireka

$51 10.4% 38% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kireka

$3.4 * 0.7% 95.1% $67

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 $165 in Kireka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $12 in Kireka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $135 per month, with Kireka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇬 Kireka

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

08:04 8:04 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

17,947

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4,380 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD). 1 EUR = 4,876 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kireka 7,330 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kireka

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 Kireka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kireka wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kireka the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $739 in Kireka to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $165 in Kireka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $493 in Kireka – Kireka is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $493 in Kireka versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Kireka but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kireka 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.