Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kisumu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kisumu: $644 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Kisumu
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Kisumu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Kisumu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kisumu

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $644 in Kisumu, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Kisumu $644

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $977 in Kisumu, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Kisumu $977

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,311 in Kisumu, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Kisumu $1,311

Phuket costs about 88% more than Kisumu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Phuket and Kisumu are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Kisumu 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$4.65 KES 603

-5.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$25.40 KES 3,293

27.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.55 KES 849

33.74%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.57 KES 334

10.12%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.61 KES 79.3

47.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.60 KES 78.2

-21.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.98 KES 257

28.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.78 KES 360

37.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.52 KES 67.5

232.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.52 KES 67.4

182.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.96 KES 254

-22.96%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.69 KES 219

28.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.51 KES 1,363

87.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$6.43 KES 834

-48.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$5.07 KES 658

120.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.43 KES 444

-16.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.94 KES 122

80.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.07 KES 268

5.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.13 KES 147

81.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.07 KES 138

35.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.96 KES 124

43.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.74 KES 95.9

44.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.73 KES 94.8

-30.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.14 KES 407

35.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.68 KES 996

141.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.27 KES 295

-21.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.35 KES 305

21.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.80 KES 104

182.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$23.09 KES 2,994

-4.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.52 KES 197

98.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.50 KES 195

-29.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$2.88 KES 373

34.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.61 KES 208

-9.94%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.7K KES 2.6M

33.56%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$21.9K KES 2.8M

22.99%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$55.8 KES 7,240

72.60%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$15.35 KES 1,990

-28.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$34.77 KES 4,508

-50.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$23.41 KES 3,036

122.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$7.91 KES 1,025

-1.26%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$115 KES 14.9K

382.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-6.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$11.77 KES 1,527

445.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$19.06 KES 2,471

50.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$15.63 KES 2,026

510.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$15.63 KES 2,026

462.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$153 KES 19.8K

381.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$138 KES 17.9K

234.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$563 KES 73.0K

272.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$212 KES 27.5K

466.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$756 KES 98.1K

361.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$758 KES 98.3K

-33.98%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Kisumu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Kisumu

$138 21.5% 70.1% $324

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Kisumu

$189 29.4% 29.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Kisumu

$106 16.5% 14.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Kisumu

$28 4.3% 77.5% $96

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Kisumu

$108 16.8% 10.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Kisumu

$39 6.1% 42.1% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Kisumu

$35 5.5% 10.4% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $153 in Kisumu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 51% higher in Kisumu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $25.00 in Kisumu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $189 – making Kisumu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇪 Kisumu

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

13:49 1:49 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,155,574

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kisumu 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kisumu

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 Kisumu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 88% more than Kisumu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $965 in Kisumu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kisumu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $25.00 in Kisumu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kisumu, where all-in costs run around $644, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Kisumu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kisumu costs $644 versus $1,208 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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