Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Misrata

For one person, living is cheaper in Misrata: $439 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Misrata
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Misrata Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Misrata

🇱🇾 Libya

$439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Misrata

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $439 in Misrata.

Phuket $1,278
Misrata $439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $709 in Misrata.

Phuket $2,216
Misrata $709

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $979 in Misrata.

Phuket $3,154
Misrata $979

Living in Phuket is roughly 191% more expensive than in Misrata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Misrata 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.73 LYD 17.52

63.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$7.98 LYD 51.2

306.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.64 LYD 16.93

233.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.60 LYD 3.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 LYD 3.15

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$0.48 LYD 3.06

489.58%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.43 LYD 2.73

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.10 LYD 0.65

390.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.85 LYD 5.43

95.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.20 LYD 1.28

630.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.95 LYD 6.09

57.89%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.21 LYD 7.80

72.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$4.05 LYD 26.01

370.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.41 LYD 21.89

-3.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.05 LYD 58.1

20.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.22 LYD 14.26

31.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.53 LYD 9.83

10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$0.74 LYD 4.75

204.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.60 LYD 3.85

246.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.72 LYD 4.62

109.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.46 LYD 2.95

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.43 LYD 2.75

148.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.19 LYD 1.21

173.68%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.22 LYD 14.27

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 LYD 4.45

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 LYD 5.46

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.89 LYD 12.15

122.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.64 LYD 4.13

126.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$39.49 LYD 254

43.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.81 LYD 5.19

272.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.49 LYD 3.11

108.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.31 LYD 14.81

59.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.02 LYD 0.13

7250.00%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$23.4K LYD 150.4K

14.28%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$19.1K LYD 122.8K

39.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$62.0 LYD 398

55.43%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.05 LYD 38.83

86.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$27.12 LYD 174

-37.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$14.29 LYD 91.8

370.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$7.66 LYD 49.19

40.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.78 LYD 30.66

56.90%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$26.32 LYD 169

1708.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$805 LYD 5,166

1299.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$22.81 LYD 146

173.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$17.16 LYD 110

65.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$45.36 LYD 291

107.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$41.88 LYD 269

104.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$147 LYD 941

388.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$71.4 LYD 458

588.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$326 LYD 2,092

491.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$214 LYD 1,375

567.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$516 LYD 3,309

709.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$103 LYD 660

2862.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$398 LYD 2,552

26.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-72.15%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Misrata: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Misrata

$71 16.2% 85.5% $420

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Misrata

$109 24.8% 59.1% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Misrata

$95 21.7% 23.6% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Misrata

$57 13% 53% $65

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Misrata

$38 8.6% 69.1% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Misrata

$24 5.4% 71% $58

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Misrata

$45 10.3% 35.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $147 in Misrata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 26% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $8 in Misrata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $109 per month, with Misrata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇾 Misrata

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

06:25 6:25 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

600,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.42 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.15 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Misrata 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Misrata

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 Misrata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Misrata is about 66% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $147 in Misrata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $439 in Misrata – Misrata is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Misrata runs roughly 30% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $439 in Misrata versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Misrata but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Misrata 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.

Expats usually find Misrata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.