Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lira

For one person, living is cheaper in Lira: $389 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Lira
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Lira Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Lira

🇺🇬 Uganda

$389

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lira

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $389 in Lira, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Lira $389

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $614 in Lira, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Lira $614

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $839 in Lira, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Lira $839

Phuket costs about 233% more than Lira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Lira are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Lira 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$2.32 UGX 9,799

89.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$23.02 UGX 97.1K

40.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.13 UGX 30.1K

22.02%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.41 UGX 10.1K

12.86%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.24 UGX 1,016

287.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.22 UGX 927

127.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$0.71 UGX 2,998

256.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.72 UGX 7,240

111.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$0.76 UGX 3,192

128.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.84 UGX 3,557

72.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.24 UGX 5,213

20.97%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.38 UGX 5,807

57.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$4.04 UGX 17.0K

372.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.35 UGX 18.3K

-21.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$4.71 UGX 19.8K

131.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$2.02 UGX 8,515

45.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.35 UGX 5,679

25.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.21 UGX 5,120

80.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.18 UGX 4,976

79.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.20 UGX 5,051

21.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$1.20 UGX 5,045

14.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.70 UGX 2,937

54.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.50 UGX 2,116

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.41 UGX 10.2K

83.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$7.17 UGX 30.2K

154.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.05 UGX 4,407

68.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.78 UGX 7,490

61.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.49 UGX 2,065

208.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.28 UGX 1,173

178.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$2.90 UGX 12.2K

32.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.42 UGX 5,975

4.93%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$6,923 UGX 29.2M

288.29%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$7,095 UGX 29.9M

271.32%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$65.4 UGX 276.0K

49.47%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$10.94 UGX 46.2K

3.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$33.40 UGX 140.9K

-48.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$7.12 UGX 30.0K

4.35%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$259 UGX 1.1M

104.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$15.6K UGX 65.8M

20.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$12.99 UGX 54.8K

374.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$12.06 UGX 50.9K

134.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$30.89 UGX 130.3K

210.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$41.89 UGX 176.7K

107.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lira: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Lira

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Lira

$141 36.3% 47.1% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Lira

$110 28.2% 13.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Lira

$44 11.3% 64.1% $79

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Lira

$78 20% 35% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Lira

$14 * 3.7% 82.9% $69

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Lira

$1.9 * 0.5% 97.2% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $23 in Lira. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $141 – making Lira the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇬 Lira

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

13:28 1:28 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

99,059

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4,217 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD). 1 EUR = 4,739 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Lira 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lira

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 Lira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 233%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $583 in Lira. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $389 in Lira. That makes Lira about 70% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $259 in Lira. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Lira, where all-in costs run around $389, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Lira it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket 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 $389 in Lira to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.