Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Meru

For one person, living is cheaper in Meru: $520 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Meru
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Meru Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Meru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Meru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $520 in Meru.

Phuket $1,294
Meru $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $853 in Meru.

Phuket $2,204
Meru $853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,185 in Meru.

Phuket $3,115
Meru $1,185

Living in Phuket is roughly 149% more expensive than in Meru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Meru 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$6.43 KES 835

-31.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$34.99 KES 4,542

-7.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$6.24 KES 810

39.42%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.59 KES 336

5.02%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.66 KES 85.6

40.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.66 KES 86.0

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.35 KES 305

7.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.73 KES 355

32.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$0.82 KES 106

112.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.40 KES 51.4

262.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.11 KES 144

35.14%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.46 KES 190

48.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$10.70 KES 1,389

78.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.68 KES 867

-49.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$5.12 KES 665

112.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$3.35 KES 434

-12.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$0.80 KES 104

111.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$0.75 KES 98.0

192.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$0.80 KES 103

165.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.16 KES 150

25.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$1.01 KES 132

35.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.24 KES 31.32

350.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.40 KES 51.9

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.38 KES 439

31.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$11.69 KES 1,518

56.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$2.29 KES 297

-22.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.67 KES 347

7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$1.57 KES 204

-3.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$1.52 KES 198

-48.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$2.85 KES 370

34.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.60 KES 208

-6.88%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$19.5K KES 2.5M

37.67%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$21.9K KES 2.8M

20.26%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$57.0 KES 7,393

71.75%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$15.21 KES 1,975

-25.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$34.48 KES 4,477

-50.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$7.51 KES 976

-1.07%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$281 KES 36.4K

89.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$12.1K KES 1.6M

55.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$27.89 KES 3,621

121.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$28.49 KES 3,699

-0.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$69.5 KES 9,026

38.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$57.8 KES 7,501

50.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.71

-62.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Meru: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Meru

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Meru

$183 35.2% 31.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Meru

$107 20.5% 15.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Meru

$83 15.9% 32.7% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Meru

$124 23.8% 3.5% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Meru

$15 * 2.9% 81.9% $68

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Meru

$9.2 * 1.8% 86.1% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $35 in Meru. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $183, with Meru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇪 Meru

🕒 Local time

13:19 1:19 PM

09:19 9:19 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,833,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.84 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.84 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Meru 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Meru

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 Meru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Meru wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Meru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $781 in Meru 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.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $281 in Meru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $35 in Meru. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $520 in Meru versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Meru but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Meru 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.