Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mbeya

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbeya: $426 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Mbeya
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Mbeya Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Mbeya

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mbeya

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $426 in Mbeya, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Mbeya $426

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $656 in Mbeya, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Mbeya $656

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $887 in Mbeya, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Mbeya $887

Phuket costs about 184% more than Mbeya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mbeya are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Mbeya 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$22.68 TZS 59.4K

42.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.77 TZS 20.4K

12.74%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.52 TZS 3,989

86.18%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.37 TZS 958

143.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.37 TZS 964

27.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.72 TZS 1,882

254.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.55 TZS 1,435

214.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.93 TZS 2,430

58.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.92 TZS 2,414

64.13%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.32 TZS 6,067

-6.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$3.80 TZS 9,949

418.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.72 TZS 9,734

-10.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$3.30 TZS 8,643

238.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.15 TZS 3,003

147.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.78 TZS 2,051

117.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$0.99 TZS 2,581

121.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.73 TZS 1,917

180.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.97 TZS 2,538

49.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.78 TZS 2,053

76.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.56 TZS 1,465

91.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.72 TZS 1,883

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.14 TZS 2,998

273.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$3.72 TZS 9,744

399.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.78 TZS 2,045

128.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.16 TZS 3,038

145.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.40 TZS 1,036

465.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.10 TZS 2,891

173.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.85 TZS 4,834

-42.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$2.61 TZS 6,831

47.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.22 TZS 3,204

18.85%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$23.68 TZS 62.0K

307.01%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$18.83 TZS 49.3K

-41.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$46.09 TZS 120.7K

-62.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$37.78 TZS 98.9K

38.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$9.50 TZS 24.9K

-17.79%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$191 TZS 500.6K

190.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$1,129 TZS 3.0M

926.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$11.42 TZS 29.9K

462.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$9.23 TZS 24.2K

210.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$19.08 TZS 50.0K

399.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$26.12 TZS 68.4K

236.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$114 TZS 297.4K

549.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$76.4 TZS 200.0K

505.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$187 TZS 491.0K

1017.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$112 TZS 292.3K

976.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$191 TZS 501.5K

161.48%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Mbeya: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Mbeya

$76 17.9% 83.5% $386

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Mbeya

$115 26.9% 57.3% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Mbeya

$89 20.8% 28.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Mbeya

$30 7% 76.2% $95

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Mbeya

$48 * 11.3% 60.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Mbeya

$57 13.3% 16.2% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Mbeya

$12 * 2.8% 69.8% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $114 in Mbeya. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 161% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $23.00 in Mbeya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $115 – making Mbeya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇿 Mbeya

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

19:04 7:04 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

541,603

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Mbeya 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mbeya

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 Mbeya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 184%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $639 in Mbeya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbeya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $426 in Mbeya. That's a gap of about 184%.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $191 in Mbeya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mbeya, where all-in costs run around $426, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Mbeya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mbeya – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mbeya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.