Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ongata Rongai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongata Rongai: $572 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Ongata Rongai
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Ongata Rongai Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ongata Rongai

🇰🇪 Kenya

$572

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ongata Rongai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $572 in Ongata Rongai.

Phuket $1,278
Ongata Rongai $572

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $881 in Ongata Rongai.

Phuket $2,216
Ongata Rongai $881

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,190 in Ongata Rongai.

Phuket $3,154
Ongata Rongai $1,190

Living in Phuket is roughly 123% more expensive than in Ongata Rongai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ongata Rongai 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.56 KES 851

-31.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$19.07 KES 2,475

69.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.20 KES 805

42.10%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.95 KES 253

45.13%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.29 KES 38.27

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.39 KES 50.9

25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.29 KES 297

11.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.71 KES 352

35.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.44 KES 57.7

277.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.48 KES 61.9

204.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.58 KES 205

-5.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.37 KES 178

52.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.35 KES 565

338.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.51 KES 456

-5.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$3.37 KES 438

223.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$1.25 KES 162

134.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.08 KES 140

56.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.18 KES 153

90.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.65 KES 84.2

220.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.73 KES 95.2

106.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$0.48 KES 62.4

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.71 KES 91.9

50.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.48 KES 62.7

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.29 KES 297

83.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.03 KES 1,173

108.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.20 KES 285

-17.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.80 KES 363

1.43%

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

$1.58 KES 205

91.14%

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 381

25.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.55 KES 201

-5.16%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$19.4K KES 2.5M

38.23%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$22.1K KES 2.9M

20.76%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$54.8 KES 7,115

75.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.99 KES 1,946

-24.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$35.02 KES 4,546

-51.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.69 KES 998

-2.47%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$273 KES 35.4K

74.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$12.4K KES 1.6M

-9.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$27.87 KES 3,617

123.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$29.51 KES 3,830

-3.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$69.7 KES 9,052

35.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$59.5 KES 7,725

44.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$156 KES 20.3K

357.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$116 KES 15.0K

324.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$233 KES 30.2K

727.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$233 KES 30.3K

513.60%

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

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 Ongata Rongai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ongata Rongai

$116 20.2% 76.4% $375

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ongata Rongai

$129 22.5% 51.6% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ongata Rongai

$105 18.3% 15.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ongata Rongai

$84 14.7% 31.1% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ongata Rongai

$114 20% 6.3% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ongata Rongai

$15 * 2.7% 81.3% $67

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ongata Rongai

$9.1 * 1.6% 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 $156 in Ongata Rongai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $19 in Ongata Rongai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $129 per month, with Ongata Rongai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇪 Ongata Rongai

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

16:05 4:05 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

172,569

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Ongata Rongai 6,910 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ongata Rongai

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 Ongata Rongai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ongata Rongai is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $858 in Ongata Rongai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $156 in Ongata Rongai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $273 in Ongata Rongai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ongata Rongai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $572 in Ongata Rongai versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ongata Rongai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ongata Rongai 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.