Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nanyuki

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanyuki: $609 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Nanyuki
Learn more

Nanyuki Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Nanyuki

🇰🇪 Kenya

$609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nanyuki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $609 in Nanyuki.

Phuket $1,278
Nanyuki $609

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,016 in Nanyuki.

Phuket $2,216
Nanyuki $1,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,424 in Nanyuki.

Phuket $3,154
Nanyuki $1,424

Living in Phuket is roughly 110% more expensive than in Nanyuki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Nanyuki 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.52 KES 847

-31.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$33.96 KES 4,410

-4.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.44 KES 836

36.80%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.60 KES 338

8.85%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.64 KES 83.2

35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.67 KES 86.5

-26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.33 KES 303

9.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.67 KES 347

37.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.90 KES 116

84.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.54 KES 69.9

170.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.18 KES 153

27.12%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.74 KES 226

20.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.79 KES 1,402

76.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.73 KES 874

-50.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.39 KES 829

70.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.39 KES 440

-13.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.02 KES 133

65.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.08 KES 270

8.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.11 KES 144

87.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.12 KES 145

34.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.05 KES 136

31.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.75 KES 97.6

42.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.76 KES 98.3

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.44 KES 447

22.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.38 KES 1,478

65.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.18 KES 284

-16.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.70 KES 350

5.19%

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

$1.56 KES 203

93.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.51 KES 197

-32.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.85 KES 370

29.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.59 KES 207

-7.55%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.5K KES 2.5M

37.16%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$22.2K KES 2.9M

20.48%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$57.0 KES 7,399

69.09%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.98 KES 1,945

-24.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$34.48 KES 4,478

-51.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.51 KES 975

-0.13%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$276 KES 35.8K

72.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$12.4K KES 1.6M

-9.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$28.59 KES 3,712

118.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$28.52 KES 3,703

-0.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$70.6 KES 9,172

33.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$58.0 KES 7,527

48.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$77.9 KES 10.1K

818.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$64.9 KES 8,429

656.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$235 KES 30.5K

721.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$189 KES 24.5K

657.45%

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

$117 KES 15.2K

328.48%

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 Nanyuki: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Nanyuki

$65 10.7% 86.8% $426

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Nanyuki

$205 33.6% 23.1% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Nanyuki

$106 17.5% 14.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nanyuki

$84 13.7% 31.4% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nanyuki

$125 20.5% 2.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Nanyuki

$15 * 2.5% 81.7% $67

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Nanyuki

$9.1 * 1.5% 87.1% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $78 in Nanyuki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $34 in Nanyuki. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $205, with Nanyuki cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇪 Nanyuki

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

01:05 1:05 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

32,000

💱 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 = 6.92 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 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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Nanyuki 6,850 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nanyuki

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 Nanyuki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanyuki wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nanyuki the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Phuket is about 4.3 times higher, 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 $78 in Nanyuki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% 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 $609 in Nanyuki – Nanyuki is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $609 in Nanyuki versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Nanyuki but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nanyuki 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 – Nanyuki wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.