Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mishref

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,324 in Mishref, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mishref outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Mishref
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Mishref Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Mishref

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,324

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mishref

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,324 in Mishref, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Mishref $1,324

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,289 in Mishref, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Mishref $2,289

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,254 in Mishref, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Mishref $3,254

Phuket is about 3% cheaper than Mishref, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Mishref are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Mishref 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.74 KWD 3.93

-64.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$64.6 KWD 19.89

-49.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.65 KWD 2.66

1.85%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 KWD 1.00

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 KWD 1.49

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.07 KWD 1.56

-44.18%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.75 KWD 0.23

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.31 KWD 0.10

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.64 KWD 0.51

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.51 KWD 0.47

-3.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.99 KWD 0.61

-24.62%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.13 KWD 0.66

-1.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$4.33 KWD 1.33

340.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.80 KWD 2.10

-51.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.12 KWD 3.12

7.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.44 KWD 0.75

20.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.86 KWD 0.57

-9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.84 KWD 0.57

22.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.54 KWD 0.47

35.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.38 KWD 0.42

9.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.43 KWD 0.44

-3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.34 KWD 0.72

-54.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.53 KWD 0.16

-1.89%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.24 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 KWD 0.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.81 KWD 0.86

49.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.74 KWD 0.23

95.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.77 KWD 1.47

-36.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.23 KWD 1.00

-68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.03 KWD 4.94

-76.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.33 KWD 0.10

345.45%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$23.2K KWD 7,151

15.36%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$19.6K KWD 6,031

36.35%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$65.9 KWD 20.29

46.30%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.55 KWD 6.95

-50.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.42 KWD 9.07

-42.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$86.6 KWD 26.69

-22.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.89 KWD 3.97

-41.82%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$503 KWD 155

-5.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$9,224 KWD 2,842

22.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$37.77 KWD 11.64

65.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.59 KWD 12.20

-28.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$99.4 KWD 30.61

-5.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$87.0 KWD 26.81

-1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$834 KWD 257

-14.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$572 KWD 176

-14.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,819 KWD 561

5.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,399 KWD 431

2.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.53

-14.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mishref: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Mishref

$572 43.2% 16.4% $81

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Mishref

$187 14.1% 29.9% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Mishref

$118 8.9% 5.3% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mishref

$119 9% 2.6% $3.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mishref

$193 14.6% 58.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Mishref

$112 8.5% 36.7% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Mishref

$24 * 1.8% 66.2% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $834 in Mishref. 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 $65 in Mishref. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $187 in Mishref – so Mishref wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇼 Mishref

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

00:06 12:06 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

40,945

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Mishref 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mishref

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 Mishref: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mishref is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,986 in Mishref. 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 $834 in Mishref.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $65 in Mishref. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 30% cheaper in Mishref – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,324 in Mishref, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.