Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mangaf

For one person, living is cheaper in Mangaf: $1,064 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Mangaf
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Mangaf Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Mangaf

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mangaf

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,064 in Mangaf, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Mangaf $1,064

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,346 in Mangaf, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Mangaf $1,346

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,629 in Mangaf, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Mangaf $1,629

Phuket costs about 20% more than Mangaf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mangaf are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Mangaf 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.46 KWD 1.99

-30.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$65.5 KWD 20.20

-50.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.49 KWD 2.00

35.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 KWD 0.98

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 KWD 1.48

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.70 KWD 1.45

-39.79%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.32 KWD 0.10

171.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.31 KWD 0.10

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.64 KWD 0.51

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.51 KWD 0.47

-3.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.91 KWD 0.59

-21.47%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.11 KWD 0.65

-0.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.28 KWD 1.32

345.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.50 KWD 2.00

-49.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.25 KWD 3.16

6.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.40 KWD 0.74

22.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.84 KWD 0.57

-8.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.85 KWD 0.57

21.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.54 KWD 0.48

35.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.37 KWD 0.42

10.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.47 KWD 0.45

-6.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.26 KWD 0.70

-52.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.47 KWD 0.14

10.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 KWD 0.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.76 KWD 0.85

52.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.97 KWD 1.53

-39.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$3.16 KWD 0.97

-67.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.39 KWD 5.05

-77.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.32 KWD 0.10

359.37%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$22.9K KWD 7,073

16.68%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$19.4K KWD 5,972

37.74%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$64.3 KWD 19.82

49.80%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.96 KWD 7.07

-50.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$30.05 KWD 9.26

-43.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$48.05 KWD 14.81

39.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.64 KWD 3.90

-40.66%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$504 KWD 155

-5.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$9,376 KWD 2,890

20.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$38.27 KWD 11.80

62.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$38.75 KWD 11.94

-26.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$96.5 KWD 29.75

-2.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$87.3 KWD 26.89

-1.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$242 KWD 74.5

196.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$422 KWD 130

16.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

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 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.53

-14.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mangaf: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Mangaf

$422 39.6% 14.1% $69

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Mangaf

$184 17.3% 31.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Mangaf

$117 11% 5.7% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mangaf

$117 11% 3.7% $4.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mangaf

$130 12.2% 6.8% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Mangaf

$73 6.9% 10.8% $8.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Mangaf

$21 * 2% 70.5% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $242 in Mangaf. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $66 in Mangaf. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $184 in Mangaf – so Mangaf wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇼 Mangaf

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

21:21 9:21 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

39,025

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.344 KWD (1 KWD = 2.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Mangaf 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mangaf

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 Mangaf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 20%, 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 $1,596 in Mangaf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mangaf, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $242 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $66 in Mangaf. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,064 in Mangaf, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,064 in Mangaf to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.