Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Qalqilya Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Qalqilya

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,264 in Phuket versus $873 in Qalqilya.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,256 in Phuket versus $1,301 in Qalqilya.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,248 in Phuket versus $1,730 in Qalqilya.

Living in Phuket is roughly 45% more expensive than in Qalqilya, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 5% lower, Qalqilya 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ฿150

$5.08 ₪15.46

-11.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.59 ฿1,523

$22.93 ₪69.9

98.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿292

$7.57 ₪23.06

15.72%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ฿99.1

$1.40 ₪4.26

112.14%

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

$0.69 ฿22.93

$0.68 ₪2.08

1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿13.05

$0.61 ₪1.87

-36.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$3.12 ₪9.49

-18.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 ฿125

$3.44 ₪10.47

9.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 ฿71.7

$2.13 ₪6.48

0.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ฿60.6

$1.11 ₪3.38

63.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 ฿73.0

$2.10 ₪6.39

3.81%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.1

$2.14 ₪6.52

5.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.00 ฿668

$5.16 ₪15.71

287.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿121

$7.54 ₪22.96

-51.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ฿453

$10.63 ₪32.39

27.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 ฿108

$1.65 ₪5.03

96.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿54.6

$1.18 ₪3.60

38.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿77.9

$0.97 ₪2.94

140.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.2

$1.42 ₪4.34

45.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.7

$1.08 ₪3.29

43.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.60

$1.37 ₪4.19

6.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.89

$1.37 ₪4.16

-28.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.11

$0.88 ₪2.67

-45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿145

$7.16 ₪21.83

-39.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.57 ฿620

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.0

$2.78 ₪8.48

-33.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿88.7

$2.49 ₪7.58

6.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿47.33

$1.25 ₪3.79

13.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.57 ฿387

$55.8 ₪170

-79.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ฿106

$2.49 ₪7.60

27.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ฿34.46

$2.47 ₪7.52

-58.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 ฿464

$14.33 ₪43.65

-3.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.89

$2.00 ₪6.10

-33.00%

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

$27.8K ฿928.2K

$38.7K ₪117.9K

-28.17%

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

$33.4K ฿1.1M

$39.1K ₪119.0K

-14.56%

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

$123 ฿4,110

$86.0 ₪262

43.11%

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

$13.77 ฿460

$16.63 ₪50.7

-17.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 ฿612

$30.44 ₪92.7

-39.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 ฿2,027

$24.10 ₪73.4

151.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 ฿573

$10.32 ₪31.45

66.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ฿296

$6.24 ₪19.02

42.15%

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

$688 ฿23.0K

$171 ₪520

303.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿527.0K

$2,803 ₪8,538

463.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 ฿1,981

$43.08 ₪131

37.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.69 ฿1,159

$38.82 ₪118

-10.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,847

$73.5 ₪224

56.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 ฿2,798

$63.1 ₪192

32.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 ฿20.8K

$348 ₪1,059

78.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.9K

$239 ₪729

86.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 ฿67.9K

$528 ₪1,610

284.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 ฿50.0K

$312 ₪951

379.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,455 ฿115.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,531 ฿84.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

6.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 27, 2026

Last update for Qalqilya: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $621 in Phuket and $348 in Qalqilya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $23.00 in Qalqilya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $202 per month, with Qalqilya 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 Qalqilya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qalqilya is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment. The 45% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,896 in Phuket and $1,309 in Qalqilya 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: $621 in Phuket versus $348 in Qalqilya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Phuket versus $171 in Qalqilya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $873 in Qalqilya versus $1,264 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Qalqilya but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Qalqilya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Qalqilya 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 Qalqilya 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 Qalqilya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.