Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Qairawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Qairawan: $1,245 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $400 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Qairawan
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Qairawan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Qairawan

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Qairawan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,245 in Qairawan.

Phuket $1,278
Qairawan $1,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,045 in Qairawan.

Phuket $2,216
Qairawan $2,045

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,844 in Qairawan.

Phuket $3,154
Qairawan $2,844

Living in Phuket is roughly 3% more expensive than in Qairawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Qairawan 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.13 KWD 2.81

-51.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$51.6 KWD 15.90

-37.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.98 KWD 2.15

26.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 KWD 0.96

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.48 KWD 1.38

-36.83%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.49 KWD 0.15

77.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.29 KWD 0.09

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.30 KWD 0.40

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.83 KWD 0.25

75.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.12 KWD 0.65

-29.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.35 KWD 0.73

-11.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$4.40 KWD 1.35

333.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.04 KWD 1.55

-34.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.38 KWD 2.89

16.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.51 KWD 0.77

16.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.73 KWD 0.53

-2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.27 KWD 0.39

77.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.67 KWD 0.51

24.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.53 KWD 0.47

-1.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.89 KWD 0.27

55.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.46 KWD 0.45

-26.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.53 KWD 0.16

-1.89%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.98 KWD 0.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 KWD 0.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.82 KWD 0.87

48.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.90 KWD 0.28

61.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.44 KWD 1.06

-12.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.69 KWD 1.14

-72.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$17.89 KWD 5.51

-79.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.39 KWD 0.12

276.92%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$25.4K KWD 7,816

5.55%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$16.8K KWD 5,177

58.83%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$55.7 KWD 17.16

73.01%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.45 KWD 6.92

-49.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$32.17 KWD 9.91

-47.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$106 KWD 32.61

-36.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.56 KWD 3.56

-35.12%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$295 KWD 90.8

61.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$7,738 KWD 2,384

45.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$34.92 KWD 10.76

78.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.28 KWD 12.10

-27.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$91.9 KWD 28.33

2.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$101 KWD 31.17

-15.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$789 KWD 243

-9.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$549 KWD 169

-10.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,926 KWD 593

0.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,172 KWD 361

22.09%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.53

-14.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Qairawan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Qairawan

$549 44.1% 11.8% $58

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Qairawan

$161 12.9% 39.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Qairawan

$110 8.9% 11.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Qairawan

$120 9.7% 1.3% $1.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Qairawan

$151 12.1% 24% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Qairawan

$129 10.4% 56.8% $47

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Qairawan

$25 * 2.1% 63.9% $45

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 $789 in Qairawan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $52 in Qairawan. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $161, with Qairawan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇼 Qairawan

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

00:12 12:12 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, 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).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Qairawan 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Qairawan

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 Qairawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qairawan is about 3% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,868 in Qairawan 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 $789 in Qairawan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $295 in Qairawan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $52 in Qairawan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Qairawan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Qairawan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.