Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Qabatiyah Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Qabatiyah

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,057 in Qabatiyah.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,780 in Qabatiyah.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $2,503 in Qabatiyah.

Living in Phuket is roughly 17% more expensive than Qabatiyah, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Qabatiyah 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$8.50 ₪25.33

-45.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$42.35 ₪126

10.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$9.26 ₪27.61

-4.54%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$3.75 ₪11.19

-20.00%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.71 ₪2.12

4.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.59 ₪1.75

-37.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$5.46 ₪16.28

-55.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$5.41 ₪16.12

-33.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.94 ₪5.79

16.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.58 ₪1.72

217.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$2.79 ₪8.32

-19.71%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.56 ₪7.63

-9.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$6.13 ₪18.26

220.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$6.65 ₪19.81

-45.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$15.48 ₪46.13

-15.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.43 ₪7.24

39.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.42 ₪4.24

15.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.38 ₪4.10

74.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.39 ₪4.15

46.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$1.08 ₪3.22

44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.06 ₪3.16

41.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$1.50 ₪4.46

-32.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.82 ₪2.46

-40.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$7.77 ₪23.16

-42.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$2.91 ₪8.68

-38.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.53 ₪7.53

8.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$1.04 ₪3.08

34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$59.5 ₪177

-80.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$2.76 ₪8.23

13.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$1.28 ₪3.81

-21.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$14.09 ₪41.99

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.97 ₪5.87

-31.47%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$37.2K ₪110.8K

-26.90%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$44.4K ₪132.2K

-25.80%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$84.6 ₪252

47.77%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$18.38 ₪54.8

-26.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$41.31 ₪123

-55.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$55.2 ₪165

11.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$28.35 ₪84.5

-40.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$8.35 ₪24.88

10.06%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$200 ₪597

248.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$3,972 ₪11.8K

292.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$42.35 ₪126

36.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$44.09 ₪131

-20.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$55.7 ₪166

103.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$43.01 ₪128

100.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$504 ₪1,503

22.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$280 ₪834

59.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$1,002 ₪2,986

104.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$706 ₪2,105

111.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$2,023 ₪6,029

86.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$1,331 ₪3,967

98.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$731 ₪2,179

-28.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

11.6

-54.05%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Qabatiyah: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $504 in Qabatiyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Qabatiyah pays 40% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $42.00 in Qabatiyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $219 per month, with Qabatiyah cheaper across the board.

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 Qabatiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qabatiyah is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Qabatiyah earns 40% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $616 in Phuket versus $504 in Qabatiyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $200 in Qabatiyah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,057 in Qabatiyah versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Qabatiyah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Qabatiyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Qabatiyah is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Qabatiyah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Qabatiyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.