Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mbabane

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbabane: $756 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
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Mbabane Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mbabane

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $756 in Mbabane, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Mbabane $756

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,214 in Mbabane, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Mbabane $1,214

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,672 in Mbabane, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Mbabane $1,672

Phuket costs about 71% more than Mbabane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mbabane are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Mbabane 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$10.17 SZL 169

-56.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$33.37 SZL 556

-3.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.02 SZL 100

44.52%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.61 SZL 43.40

4.21%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.11 SZL 18.52

-16.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.57 SZL 9.43

-12.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.08 SZL 34.65

21.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.35 SZL 39.17

54.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.52 SZL 25.37

14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$0.85 SZL 14.13

70.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.67 SZL 27.87

-10.18%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.78 SZL 29.69

21.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$10.87 SZL 181

75.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$5.61 SZL 93.3

-39.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$5.22 SZL 87.0

108.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.75 SZL 29.10

68.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.66 SZL 10.99

156.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.21 SZL 20.09

80.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.41 SZL 23.43

50.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$1.25 SZL 20.86

16.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.48 SZL 24.72

-7.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.67 SZL 11.13

61.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.77 SZL 12.79

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.77 SZL 46.18

59.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$6.13 SZL 102

197.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.60 SZL 26.57

10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.64 SZL 27.25

75.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.74 SZL 12.30

95.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.43 SZL 23.78

-45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$3.09 SZL 51.5

24.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.33 SZL 22.12

12.03%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$65.2 SZL 1,086

49.99%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$37.37 SZL 622

-69.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$26.65 SZL 444

-35.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$22.34 SZL 372

205.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$3.08 SZL 51.3

254.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$3.52 SZL 58.6

111.08%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$6,211 SZL 103.4K

202.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$34.83 SZL 580

77.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$15.14 SZL 252

86.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$69.4 SZL 1,156

38.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$54.4 SZL 905

59.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$267 SZL 4,447

169.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$176 SZL 2,937

188.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$451 SZL 7,509

332.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$357 SZL 5,945

291.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$488 SZL 8,129

758.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$363 SZL 6,040

809.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.25

-23.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mbabane: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Mbabane

$176 23.3% 65.3% $332

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Mbabane

$181 23.9% 32.4% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Mbabane

$129 17.1% 2.3% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Mbabane

$78 10.3% 36.3% $45

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Mbabane

$153 20.2% 27.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Mbabane

$29 3.9% 64.7% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Mbabane

$10 * 1.3% 84.7% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $267 in Mbabane. 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 $33 in Mbabane. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $181 in Mbabane – so Mbabane wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🕒 Local time

06:35 6:35 AM

01:35 1:35 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

94,874 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 SZL = 6.01 USD

100 SZL = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.65 SZL (100 SZL = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.62 SZL (100 SZL = 5.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Mbabane 8,180 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mbabane

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 Mbabane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 71% more than Mbabane, 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 $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,135 in Mbabane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbabane, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $267 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $756 in Mbabane. That makes Mbabane about 42% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $756 in Mbabane to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.