Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Machakos

For one person, living is cheaper in Machakos: $520 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Machakos
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Machakos Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Machakos

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Machakos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $520 in Machakos.

Phuket $1,278
Machakos $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $802 in Machakos.

Phuket $2,216
Machakos $802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,084 in Machakos.

Phuket $3,154
Machakos $1,084

Living in Phuket is roughly 146% more expensive than in Machakos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Machakos 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.99 KES 389

49.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$19.26 KES 2,501

68.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.26 KES 813

40.73%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.97 KES 255

43.65%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.66 KES 85.4

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.54 KES 69.6

-9.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.16 KES 281

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.67 KES 346

37.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.39 KES 50.9

325.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.48 KES 62.7

204.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.80 KES 104

87.50%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.36 KES 177

53.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.89 KES 1,414

75.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.36 KES 827

-48.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.71 KES 612

131.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.50 KES 195

95.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.81 KES 105

108.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.37 KES 47.51

508.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.40 KES 51.6

420.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.79 KES 102

91.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.76 KES 98.7

81.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.75 KES 97.6

42.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.39 KES 51.1

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.51 KES 456

19.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.31 KES 1,469

66.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.91 KES 248

-4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.70 KES 351

5.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.74 KES 96.4

308.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.75 KES 97.8

36.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.86 KES 371

29.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.50 KES 195

-2.00%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.1K KES 2.5M

40.04%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$21.7K KES 2.8M

22.84%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$57.0 KES 7,400

69.09%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.83 KES 1,017

43.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$11.58 KES 1,504

45.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$38.98 KES 5,062

72.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.66 KES 995

-2.09%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$45.51 KES 5,910

945.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-8.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$11.62 KES 1,509

436.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$28.49 KES 3,700

-0.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$68.8 KES 8,927

37.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$38.19 KES 4,959

124.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$94.2 KES 12.2K

660.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$70.4 KES 9,137

597.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$155 KES 20.1K

1145.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$116 KES 15.1K

1129.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$385 KES 50.0K

30.45%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Machakos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Machakos

$70 13.5% 85.7% $421

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Machakos

$161 31% 39.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Machakos

$76 14.7% 38.6% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Machakos

$66 12.7% 45.7% $56

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Machakos

$87 16.8% 28.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Machakos

$54 10.4% 34% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Machakos

$4.5 * 0.9% 93.6% $66

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 $94 in Machakos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 30% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $19 in Machakos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $161 per month, with Machakos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇪 Machakos

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

23:32 11:32 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

114,109

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Machakos 6,860 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Machakos

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 Machakos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Machakos wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Machakos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 30% 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 $94 in Machakos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% 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 $520 in Machakos – Machakos is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $520 in Machakos versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Machakos but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Machakos 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.

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

It comes down to priorities – Machakos wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.