Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nakuru

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakuru: $642 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Nakuru, Kenya
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Nakuru
🇰🇪 Kenya
$642
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nakuru

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $642 in Nakuru, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Nakuru $642

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $994 in Nakuru, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Nakuru $994

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,346 in Nakuru, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Nakuru $1,346

Phuket costs about 99% more than Nakuru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Nakuru are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Nakuru 53% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Nakuru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$3.84 KES 499
16.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$34.80 KES 4,519
-6.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$6.54 KES 849
34.71%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$1.94 KES 252
45.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$0.39 KES 50.7
123.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$0.24 KES 31.36
104.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$2.26 KES 294
13.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.62 KES 340
40.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Nakuru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$0.52 KES 67.4
219.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$0.44 KES 56.8
231.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$1.58 KES 205
-5.06%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.53 KES 199
36.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$10.81 KES 1,404
76.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$6.44 KES 836
-48.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$6.38 KES 828
71.00%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$3.36 KES 437
-12.80%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$1.03 KES 134
64.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$2.07 KES 269
8.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$1.09 KES 142
90.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.15 KES 149
31.30%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$1.10 KES 143
25.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$0.71 KES 92.2
50.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$0.80 KES 103
-35.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$3.40 KES 442
23.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$11.38 KES 1,478
65.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$2.22 KES 289
-18.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$2.71 KES 352
4.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Nakuru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.51 KES 196
100.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$1.51 KES 196
-32.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$2.94 KES 381
25.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$1.62 KES 210
-9.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$19.6K KES 2.5M
36.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$21.5K KES 2.8M
24.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Nakuru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$55.5 KES 7,207
73.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$15.37 KES 1,996
-26.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$34.48 KES 4,478
-51.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Nakuru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$7.91 KES 1,027
-5.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Nakuru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$279 KES 36.2K
70.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$12.3K KES 1.6M
-8.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Nakuru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$28.16 KES 3,657
121.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$28.49 KES 3,700
-0.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$70.0 KES 9,085
34.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$58.0 KES 7,537
47.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Nakuru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$227 KES 29.5K
214.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$136 KES 17.7K
259.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$536 KES 69.5K
259.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$190 KES 24.7K
653.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Nakuru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
-
-
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 Nakuru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Nakuru
$136 72.2% $355
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Nakuru
$200 24.9% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Nakuru
$105 15.4% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Nakuru
$83 31.8% $39
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Nakuru
$93 23.8% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Nakuru
$16 * 80.8% $66
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Nakuru
$9.1 * 87.1% $62

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 $227 in Nakuru. 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 $35 in Nakuru. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $200 in Nakuru – so Nakuru wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇰🇪 Nakuru
🕒 Local time
04:12 4:12 AM
00:12 12:12 AM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
307,990
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Nakuru 6,970 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Nakuru

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 Nakuru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phuket and in Nakuru compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $642 in Nakuru – Nakuru comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Nakuru?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $963 in Nakuru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Phuket and Nakuru?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakuru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $227 there versus $716 in Phuket.
Which city is more expensive overall: Phuket or Nakuru?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $642 in Nakuru. That makes Nakuru about 50% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Phuket and Nakuru?
Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $279 in Nakuru. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nakuru, where all-in costs run around $642, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Nakuru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Phuket or Nakuru?
Families tend to lean toward Nakuru – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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