Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Migdal HaEmek

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,822 in Migdal HaEmek, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 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
132

Cost of Living Index in Migdal HaEmek
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Migdal HaEmek Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Migdal HaEmek

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Migdal HaEmek

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,822 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Migdal HaEmek $2,822

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $4,051 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Migdal HaEmek $4,051

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $5,279 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Migdal HaEmek $5,279

Phuket is about 55% cheaper than Migdal HaEmek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Migdal HaEmek is 107% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$25.56 ₪80.2

-82.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$91.1 ₪286

-64.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$19.26 ₪60.5

-54.26%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.52 ₪14.20

-37.39%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$3.40 ₪10.68

-74.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.79 ₪8.75

-82.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$9.86 ₪30.94

-74.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$10.22 ₪32.06

-63.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.56 ₪8.02

-35.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$3.57 ₪11.22

-59.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.43 ₪10.76

-56.27%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.51 ₪14.15

-53.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.92 ₪40.55

47.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.96 ₪40.68

-74.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$24.12 ₪75.7

-54.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.31 ₪13.52

-32.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.83 ₪8.89

-40.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.30 ₪7.22

-2.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.56 ₪8.03

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.99 ₪6.23

-24.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.74 ₪5.46

-20.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.39 ₪7.50

-55.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$2.48 ₪7.78

-79.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.08 ₪31.64

-58.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.94 ₪40.62

45.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.21 ₪10.07

-43.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$4.01 ₪12.59

-29.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$2.86 ₪8.98

-49.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$114 ₪357

-50.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.16 ₪13.05

-27.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.25 ₪3.92

-18.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$36.39 ₪114

-89.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.66 ₪8.33

-44.74%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$54.9K ₪172.3K

-51.24%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$54.5K ₪170.9K

-51.00%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$259 ₪814

-62.85%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.69 ₪36.68

-3.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$35.55 ₪112

-52.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$81.1 ₪255

-17.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$16.07 ₪50.4

-53.33%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,147 ₪3,600

-58.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$24.5K ₪76.9K

-54.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$103 ₪324

-39.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$63.9 ₪201

-55.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$131 ₪411

-28.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$158 ₪496

-45.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,384 ₪4,342

-48.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,222 ₪3,836

-59.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,759 ₪8,659

-30.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,739 ₪5,456

-17.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$9,836 ₪30.9K

-57.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$7,546 ₪23.7K

-59.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.04

10.52%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Migdal HaEmek: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Migdal HaEmek

$1.2K 43.3% 149% $731

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Migdal HaEmek

$428 15.2% 60.8% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Migdal HaEmek

$307 10.9% 146% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Migdal HaEmek

$205 7.3% 68.3% $83

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Migdal HaEmek

$411 14.6% 238% $289

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Migdal HaEmek

$113 4% 37.7% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Migdal HaEmek

$135 4.8% 91.9% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,384 in Migdal HaEmek. 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 $91 in Migdal HaEmek. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $428 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇱 Migdal HaEmek

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

24,700

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 ILS = 0.319 USD

1 ILS = 0.285 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3.14 ILS (1 ILS = 0.319 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.285 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Migdal HaEmek 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Migdal HaEmek

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 Migdal HaEmek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Migdal HaEmek costs about 121% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $4,233 in Migdal HaEmek. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,384 in Migdal HaEmek.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $1,147 in Migdal HaEmek. 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 Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Migdal HaEmek at $2,822. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Migdal HaEmek it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.