Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Molo

For one person, living is cheaper in Molo: $546 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Molo
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Molo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Molo

🇰🇪 Kenya

$546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Molo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $546 in Molo.

Phuket $1,278
Molo $546

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $893 in Molo.

Phuket $2,216
Molo $893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,240 in Molo.

Phuket $3,154
Molo $1,240

Living in Phuket is roughly 134% more expensive than in Molo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Molo 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.39 KES 829

-30.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$34.32 KES 4,455

-5.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.37 KES 826

38.30%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.63 KES 341

7.60%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.70 KES 91.3

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.61 KES 79.5

-19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.35 KES 305

8.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.67 KES 347

37.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.89 KES 115

86.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.59 KES 76.2

147.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.01 KES 261

-25.37%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.70 KES 221

22.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.99 KES 1,427

73.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.42 KES 834

-48.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.44 KES 836

69.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$3.47 KES 451

-15.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.08 KES 140

56.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.01 KES 260

11.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.15 KES 149

80.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.11 KES 144

36.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.06 KES 138

30.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.75 KES 97.4

42.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.75 KES 97.7

-30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.49 KES 453

20.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.33 KES 1,471

65.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.29 KES 298

-20.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.77 KES 360

2.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.55 KES 202

94.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.51 KES 196

-32.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.93 KES 380

25.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.56 KES 202

-5.77%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$19.2K KES 2.5M

39.52%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$21.5K KES 2.8M

23.91%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$55.3 KES 7,179

74.20%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.06 KES 1,955

-25.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$35.56 KES 4,616

-52.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.67 KES 996

-2.22%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$279 KES 36.2K

70.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-8.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$27.85 KES 3,615

123.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$28.87 KES 3,748

-1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$69.2 KES 8,985

36.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$58.4 KES 7,576

46.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$378 KES 49.0K

32.98%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Molo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Molo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Molo

$209 38.2% 21.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Molo

$106 19.4% 14.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Molo

$83 15.2% 32% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Molo

$124 22.7% 2% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Molo

$15 * 2.8% 81.3% $67

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Molo

$9.1 * 1.7% 87.1% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays 33% 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 $34 in Molo. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $209, with Molo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇪 Molo

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

48,356

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Molo 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Molo

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 Molo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Molo is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $546 in Molo – Molo is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $546 in Molo versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Molo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Molo 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.

It comes down to priorities – Molo wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.