Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Malindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $517 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 Malindi
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Malindi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$517

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Malindi

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $517 in Malindi, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Malindi $517

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $803 in Malindi, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Malindi $803

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,090 in Malindi, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Malindi $1,090

Phuket costs about 147% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Malindi are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Malindi 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.14 KES 277

108.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$25.30 KES 3,284

28.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.44 KES 1,355

-15.61%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.70 KES 351

4.81%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.68 KES 88.5

27.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.52 KES 67.1

-5.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.29 KES 298

11.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.23 KES 419

13.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.90 KES 117

84.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.50 KES 64.3

192.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.25 KES 162

20.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.83 KES 237

14.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.40 KES 1,480

67.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.98 KES 647

-33.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.89 KES 635

123.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.07 KES 269

41.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.78 KES 101

116.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.76 KES 228

27.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.71 KES 91.7

192.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.72 KES 93.7

109.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.65 KES 84.0

112.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.59 KES 77.1

81.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.45 KES 58.8

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.16 KES 540

0.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.83 KES 1,276

91.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.01 KES 261

-9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.96 KES 384

-4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.14 KES 408

-3.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.78 KES 231

-42.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.59 KES 596

-19.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.37 KES 178

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$12.0K KES 1.6M

122.24%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$12.0K KES 1.6M

122.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$76.0 KES 9,870

26.71%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.99 KES 1,166

25.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.23 KES 3,924

-44.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$38.62 KES 5,013

74.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.42 KES 2,002

-51.36%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$85.5 KES 11.1K

456.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$5,381 KES 698.4K

109.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$13.28 KES 1,723

369.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$13.38 KES 1,737

112.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$23.49 KES 3,049

301.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$46.81 KES 6,076

83.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$379 KES 49.2K

408.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-57.15%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Malindi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Malindi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Malindi

$173 33.4% 35.2% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Malindi

$115 22.3% 7.4% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Malindi

$44 8.5% 64.2% $78

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Malindi

$104 20.1% 14.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Malindi

$69 13.5% 15.5% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Malindi

$12 * 2.3% 82.9% $59

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 $25 in Malindi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $173 – making Malindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇪 Malindi

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

117,735

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Malindi 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Malindi

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 Malindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 147% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $775 in Malindi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $25 in Malindi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Malindi, where all-in costs run around $517, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Malindi 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 $517 in Malindi to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.