Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,726 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kuala Belait

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,726 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kuala Belait $1,726

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,561 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kuala Belait $2,561

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,397 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kuala Belait $3,397

Phuket is about 26% cheaper than Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Kuala Belait is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.77 BND 9.92

-42.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$47.28 BND 60.4

-31.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.74 BND 9.88

13.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 BND 2.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 BND 3.06

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.46 BND 5.70

-36.55%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.88 BND 1.13

-1.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.50 BND 0.64

-2.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.82 BND 2.32

-8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.51 BND 3.21

-41.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.30 BND 2.94

-34.78%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.70 BND 3.45

-22.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$19.08 BND 24.37

-0.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.44 BND 12.06

-65.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$24.33 BND 31.09

-55.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.83 BND 6.17

-39.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.17 BND 2.77

-22.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$5.01 BND 6.40

-55.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.49 BND 3.18

-16.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.73 BND 2.21

-12.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.91 BND 3.71

-52.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$5.51 BND 7.04

-80.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.86 BND 1.10

-39.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.81 BND 15.08

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.91 BND 7.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$7.89 BND 10.07

-46.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.01 BND 5.12

-24.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$3.27 BND 4.18

-68.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$11.49 BND 14.67

-67.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.35 BND 0.45

320.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$31.8K BND 40.7K

-15.86%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$26.9K BND 34.3K

-0.68%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$39.60 BND 50.6

143.31%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$21.64 BND 27.64

-47.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$65.2 BND 83.2

-74.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$99.3 BND 127

-32.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$27.87 BND 35.60

-61.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.49 BND 7.01

36.61%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$217 BND 278

118.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$9,343 BND 11.9K

20.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$76.2 BND 97.4

-18.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$101 BND 129

-71.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$155 BND 198

-39.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$71.1 BND 90.8

20.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$730 BND 933

-1.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$789 BND 1,008

-37.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,167 BND 1,491

65.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,169 BND 1,493

22.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,379 BND 4,317

-85.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.88

43.56%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kuala Belait

$789 45.7% 60.8% $298

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kuala Belait

$354 20.5% 32.9% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3% 1.5% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kuala Belait

$181 10.5% 48.7% $59

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kuala Belait

$144 8.4% 18.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4% 34.2% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kuala Belait

$20 * 1.2% 71.1% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $730 in Kuala Belait. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kuala Belait are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $47 in Kuala Belait. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $354 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

22:04 10:04 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

31,178

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BND = 0.783 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.783 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.701 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kuala Belait 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kuala Belait

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 Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,726 in Kuala Belait – Phuket comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,589 in Kuala Belait. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $716 in Phuket and $730 in Kuala Belait. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,726 in Kuala Belait. That makes Phuket about 26% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $217 in Kuala Belait. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Kuala Belait at $1,726. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,726 in Kuala Belait. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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