Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Manama

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,561 in Manama, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Manama
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Manama Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Manama

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Manama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,561 in Manama.

Phuket $1,278
Manama $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,442 in Manama.

Phuket $2,216
Manama $2,442

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,323 in Manama.

Phuket $3,154
Manama $3,323

Living in Phuket costs roughly 18% less than in Manama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Manama is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.17 BHD 1.93

-13.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$53.4 BHD 19.97

-39.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.22 BHD 2.70

22.02%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.01 BHD 1.88

-43.51%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.88 BHD 0.33

-1.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.32 BHD 0.12

53.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.48 BHD 2.42

-60.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$10.09 BHD 3.78

-63.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.39 BHD 0.52

19.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.05 BHD 0.39

39.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.33 BHD 0.87

-35.62%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.22 BHD 0.83

-5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.62 BHD 3.22

121.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.58 BHD 2.46

-49.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.38 BHD 3.13

30.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.39 BHD 0.89

22.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.31 BHD 0.86

-26.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.94 BHD 0.73

15.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.38 BHD 0.52

50.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.01 BHD 0.38

49.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.36 BHD 0.51

1.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.56 BHD 0.58

-31.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.84 BHD 0.32

-38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.26 BHD 1.97

-20.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.18 BHD 6.80

3.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.63 BHD 1.36

-49.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.66 BHD 1.00

6.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.78 BHD 0.29

85.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$36.65 BHD 13.71

54.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.18 BHD 1.94

-41.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$3.42 BHD 1.28

-70.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$15.82 BHD 5.92

-76.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.66 BHD 0.25

122.73%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$25.9K BHD 9,671

3.56%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$19.3K BHD 7,234

37.99%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$153 BHD 57.1

-36.85%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.67 BHD 9.23

-54.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$35.29 BHD 13.20

-52.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$68.9 BHD 25.77

-2.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$30.13 BHD 11.27

-64.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.78 BHD 4.03

-30.43%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$622 BHD 233

-23.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$10.9K BHD 4,091

2.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$50.1 BHD 18.74

24.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$58.0 BHD 21.71

-51.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$89.1 BHD 33.32

5.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$88.7 BHD 33.16

-3.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,004 BHD 376

-28.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$638 BHD 239

-23.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,052 BHD 767

-6.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,303 BHD 487

9.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,590 BHD 969

61.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,974 BHD 738

54.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,384 BHD 892

-78.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.21

-10.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Manama

$638 40.9% 29.9% $147

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Manama

$249 16% 6.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Manama

$213 13.6% 70.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Manama

$129 8.2% 5.6% $6.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Manama

$181 11.6% 48.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Manama

$90 5.8% 10% $8.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Manama

$62 4% 12.1% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,004 in Manama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Manama pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $53 in Manama. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $249, with Manama cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇭 Manama

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

10:00 10:00 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

157,474 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BHD = 2.67 USD

1 BHD = 2.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, 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).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.374 BHD (1 BHD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 0.418 BHD (1 BHD = 2.39 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Manama 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Manama

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 Manama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Manama. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,004 in Manama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Manama runs roughly 35% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $622 in Manama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,561 in Manama, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Manama. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 Manama are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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