Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and New Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in New Cairo: $677 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
33

Cost of Living Index in New Cairo
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New Cairo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

New Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in New Cairo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $677 in New Cairo.

Phuket $1,278
New Cairo $677

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,026 in New Cairo.

Phuket $2,216
New Cairo $1,026

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,375 in New Cairo.

Phuket $3,154
New Cairo $1,375

Living in Phuket is roughly 89% more expensive than in New Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, New Cairo 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.44 E£303

-17.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$23.75 E£1,323

36.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.48 E£306

60.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.94 E£108

45.88%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.36 E£20.13

141.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.13 E£7.36

276.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.72 E£152

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.10 E£173

18.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.91 E£50.5

82.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.98 E£54.8

48.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.74 E£41.18

102.70%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.34 E£74.8

55.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.04 E£225

372.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.90 E£273

-32.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.05 E£448

35.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.61 E£90.0

81.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.69 E£38.58

144.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.50 E£27.84

350.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.35 E£19.45

494.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.33 E£18.41

357.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.48 E£26.70

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.19 E£10.67

463.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.20 E£11.14

160.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.85 E£103

127.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.11 E£508

106.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.26 E£70.3

44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.94 E£108

46.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.16 E£8.91

806.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.51 E£28.23

492.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.18 E£10.05

466.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.62 E£202

1.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.43 E£23.98

241.86%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$29.9K E£1.7M

-10.46%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$24.8K E£1.4M

7.79%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$38.48 E£2,144

150.39%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.12 E£508

23.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$13.53 E£754

24.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$27.42 E£1,528

145.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.80 E£323

85.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.11 E£173

141.16%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$168 E£9,387

182.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$4,338 E£241.8K

159.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$42.59 E£2,374

46.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$50.8 E£2,829

-44.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$107 E£5,948

-11.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$52.8 E£2,943

62.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$289 E£16.1K

147.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$224 E£12.5K

119.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$504 E£28.1K

282.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$335 E£18.6K

327.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,115 E£62.1K

274.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$629 E£35.1K

383.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$177 E£9,861

183.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.4

-51.14%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for New Cairo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

New Cairo

$224 33.1% 54.4% $267

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

New Cairo

$138 20.3% 48.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

New Cairo

$61 9% 50.9% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

New Cairo

$114 16.8% 6.6% $8.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

New Cairo

$105 15.5% 13.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

New Cairo

$34 5% 59.1% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

New Cairo

$2.1 * 0.3% 97.1% $69

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 $289 in New Cairo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $24 in New Cairo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $138 per month, with New Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇬 New Cairo

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

03:43 3:43 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

298,343

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55.73 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.23 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket New Cairo 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
New Cairo

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 New Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Cairo wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making New Cairo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.8 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 $289 in New Cairo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 94% 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 $677 in New Cairo – New Cairo is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $677 in New Cairo versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in New Cairo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes New Cairo 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and New Cairo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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