Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $726 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mombasa

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Phuket vs $726 in Mombasa, rent included.

Phuket $1,190
Mombasa $726

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Phuket vs $1,140 in Mombasa, rent included.

Phuket $2,006
Mombasa $1,140

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Phuket vs $1,553 in Mombasa, rent included.

Phuket $2,822
Mombasa $1,553

Phuket costs about 64% more than Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mombasa are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Mombasa 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$2.65 KES 343

64.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$24.75 KES 3,210

31.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$10.36 KES 1,343

-18.73%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$2.75 KES 357

2.18%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.68 KES 88.1

27.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.52 KES 67.1

-11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.28 KES 296

13.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$3.33 KES 432

9.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$0.99 KES 128

72.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.53 KES 69.3

173.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.52 KES 197

2.63%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$1.75 KES 227

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$13.89 KES 1,802

40.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.92 KES 639

-30.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$5.42 KES 703

105.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$2.17 KES 282

30.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.15 KES 149

40.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.77 KES 230

25.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$0.71 KES 91.6

202.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.74 KES 95.8

101.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$1.05 KES 136

26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$0.60 KES 78.0

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.46 KES 59.4

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$3.99 KES 517

9.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$9.71 KES 1,259

93.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.93 KES 250

-9.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.90 KES 377

-4.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$0.80 KES 103

171.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$39.24 KES 5,089

-43.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$3.17 KES 411

-4.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$1.76 KES 229

-39.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.49 KES 583

-17.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.59 KES 206

-10.06%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$12.1K KES 1.6M

117.40%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$12.2K KES 1.6M

115.53%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$76.8 KES 9,958

25.89%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$9.20 KES 1,194

24.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$34.52 KES 4,478

-50.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$18.03 KES 2,339

192.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$19.39 KES 2,515

-42.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$15.22 KES 1,974

-49.74%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$85.5 KES 11.1K

549.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$5,377 KES 697.4K

109.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$13.31 KES 1,727

376.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$13.57 KES 1,760

110.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$23.10 KES 2,996

318.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$46.02 KES 5,969

92.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$231 KES 30.0K

218.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$157 KES 20.3K

192.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$538 KES 69.8K

290.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$374 KES 48.5K

217.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$5,456 KES 707.6K

-35.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$3,836 KES 497.6K

-35.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$318 KES 41.3K

57.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-57.15%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Mombasa

$157 21.8% 65.8% $301

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Mombasa

$186 26% 30.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Mombasa

$121 16.8% 3.7% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Mombasa

$43 6% 65.4% $82

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Mombasa

$108 15.1% 9.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Mombasa

$48 6.8% 28.8% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Mombasa

$54 7.6% 38.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $735 in Phuket versus $231 in Mombasa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 57% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $25.00 in Mombasa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $186 – making Mombasa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.88 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Mombasa 6,650 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mombasa

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 Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,190 in Phuket, $726 in Mombasa – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Phuket and $1,089 in Mombasa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mombasa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $25.00 in Mombasa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Phuket and $726 in Mombasa. That's a gap of about 64%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mombasa, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Phuket at $1,190. In Mombasa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $726 in Mombasa to $1,190 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mombasa. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.