Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Manouba

For one person, living is cheaper in Manouba: $654 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Manouba, Tunisia
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Manouba
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$654
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Manouba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $654 in Manouba.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Manouba $654

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,026 in Manouba.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Manouba $1,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,398 in Manouba.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Manouba $1,398

Living in Phuket is roughly 95% more expensive than in Manouba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Manouba 52% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Manouba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$3.34 TND 10.03
33.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$20.45 TND 61.4
58.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$6.04 TND 18.16
45.86%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$1.17 TND 3.52
141.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$0.60 TND 1.79
45.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$0.27 TND 0.81
81.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$1.56 TND 4.70
64.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.34 TND 7.02
57.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Manouba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$0.46 TND 1.37
260.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$0.22 TND 0.66
563.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.31 TND 3.95
14.50%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.62 TND 4.87
29.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$9.89 TND 29.70
92.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$5.52 TND 16.58
-40.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$13.89 TND 41.74
-21.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$1.80 TND 5.42
62.78%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$3.06 TND 9.21
-44.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.07 TND 3.22
110.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$0.68 TND 2.04
205.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.76 TND 2.28
98.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$0.66 TND 1.97
109.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$0.50 TND 1.50
114.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.34 TND 1.01
52.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$3.62 TND 10.89
16.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$6.77 TND 20.34
177.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.18 TND 3.54
54.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$1.08 TND 3.25
162.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Manouba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
$0.33 TND 0.99
339.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$10.03 TND 30.12
464.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$0.29 TND 0.87
941.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$0.31 TND 0.93
229.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$1.79 TND 5.38
106.15%
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
$35.9K TND 107.9K
-25.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$34.3K TND 103.1K
-22.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Manouba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$45.98 TND 138
109.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$8.59 TND 25.80
31.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$21.14 TND 63.5
-20.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Manouba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$27.04 TND 81.2
148.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$12.70 TND 38.14
-15.51%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$5.23 TND 15.71
43.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Manouba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$96.2 TND 289
394.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$2,484 TND 7,462
353.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Manouba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$42.58 TND 128
46.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$35.69 TND 107
-20.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$102 TND 305
-7.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$68.1 TND 205
26.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Manouba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$208 TND 624
244.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$158 TND 474
211.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$373 TND 1,121
416.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$269 TND 807
432.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$965 TND 2,900
332.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$605 TND 1,817
403.56%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Manouba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
10.65
-47.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manouba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Manouba
$158 67.9% $333
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Manouba
$184 31% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Manouba
$76 39.2% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Manouba
$112 8.4% $10
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Manouba
$75 38.5% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Manouba
$37 54.4% $45
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Manouba
$13 81.3% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $208 in Manouba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $20 in Manouba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $184 per month, with Manouba cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇹🇳 Manouba
🕒 Local time
05:14 5:14 AM
23:14 11:14 PM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
58,792
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Manouba 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Manouba

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 Manouba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Phuket and in Manouba?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $654 in Manouba, so Manouba is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Manouba?
You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $981 in Manouba to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Phuket and in Manouba?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $208 in Manouba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Manouba – a meal for two runs $20 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $654 in Manouba versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Manouba but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Manouba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Phuket and Manouba?
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.
Where should expats move: Phuket or Manouba?
Expats usually find Manouba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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