Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mahdia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahdia: $556 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Mahdia
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Mahdia Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Mahdia

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mahdia

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $556 in Mahdia, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Mahdia $556

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $878 in Mahdia, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Mahdia $878

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,201 in Mahdia, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Mahdia $1,201

Phuket costs about 130% more than Mahdia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mahdia are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Mahdia 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.53 TND 7.61

76.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$19.87 TND 59.7

63.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.88 TND 14.65

80.53%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$0.93 TND 2.78

204.30%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.61 TND 1.83

42.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.17 TND 0.52

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.02 TND 3.07

150.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.54 TND 4.63

138.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.42 TND 1.27

295.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.28 TND 0.84

421.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.32 TND 3.96

13.64%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.52 TND 4.57

37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.67 TND 35.06

63.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.14 TND 15.44

-35.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.29 TND 42.93

-23.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.81 TND 8.46

4.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.88 TND 8.66

-41.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.37 TND 4.13

64.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.73 TND 2.20

184.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.64 TND 1.92

135.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.32 TND 0.95

331.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.41 TND 1.23

160.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.35 TND 1.04

48.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.41 TND 10.23

23.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$3.37 TND 10.13

457.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.62 TND 4.86

12.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.26 TND 3.78

125.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.34 TND 1.02

326.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$13.10 TND 39.36

332.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.31 TND 0.94

874.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.28 TND 0.84

264.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.82 TND 2.46

79.27%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$40.6K TND 121.9K

-33.99%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$39.6K TND 119.1K

-32.65%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$54.7 TND 164

76.24%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.32 TND 22.00

53.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$20.16 TND 60.6

-16.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$20.73 TND 62.3

224.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.47 TND 22.44

43.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.58 TND 19.78

13.98%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$110 TND 331

332.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$1,001 TND 3,007

1025.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$38.99 TND 117

59.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$32.67 TND 98.2

-13.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$78.2 TND 235

20.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$23.09 TND 69.4

271.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$128 TND 384

459.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$100 TND 301

389.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$294 TND 884

555.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$170 TND 512

739.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$673 TND 2,023

520.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$201 TND 604

1415.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$237 TND 711

112.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.33

-46.08%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mahdia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Mahdia

$100 18% 79.6% $391

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Mahdia

$188 33.9% 29.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Mahdia

$82 14.8% 34% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mahdia

$78 14% 36.2% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mahdia

$57 10.3% 52.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Mahdia

$34 6.1% 58.8% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Mahdia

$16 2.9% 77.1% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $128 in Mahdia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 2.1 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $20 in Mahdia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $188 – making Mahdia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇳 Mahdia

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

02:43 2:43 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

79,545

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Mahdia 9,260 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mahdia

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 Mahdia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 130%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $834 in Mahdia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mahdia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $110 in Mahdia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mahdia, where all-in costs run around $556, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Mahdia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mahdia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Mahdia. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.