Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ras al-Khaimah

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ras al-Khaimah

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 Ras al-Khaimah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah.

Phuket $1,207
Ras al-Khaimah $1,840

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,803 in Ras al-Khaimah.

Phuket $2,037
Ras al-Khaimah $2,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,767 in Ras al-Khaimah.

Phuket $2,867
Ras al-Khaimah $3,767

Living in Phuket costs roughly 34% less than in Ras al-Khaimah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Ras al-Khaimah is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$13.76 AED 50.5

-66.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$40.26 AED 148

-19.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$7.53 AED 27.64

13.55%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$5.51 AED 20.22

-50.64%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.11 AED 4.08

-15.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.48 AED 1.76

2.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$10.16 AED 37.32

-74.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$9.70 AED 35.63

-60.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.63 AED 6.00

6.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.08 AED 7.65

-31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.96 AED 7.20

-21.94%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.35 AED 8.62

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$12.68 AED 46.57

51.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$9.95 AED 36.56

-66.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$15.46 AED 56.8

-27.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.01 AED 7.39

46.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.67 AED 6.14

0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.55 AED 5.69

48.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.36 AED 4.98

56.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.96 AED 3.54

59.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.87 AED 3.20

56.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.74 AED 6.39

-35.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.44 AED 1.61

25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.97 AED 25.61

-38.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$13.58 AED 49.89

33.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.63 AED 9.66

-33.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.88 AED 10.56

-3.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$2.12 AED 7.80

4.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$114 AED 419

-80.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.69 AED 6.21

72.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.80 AED 2.93

26.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.16 AED 29.96

-53.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$0.93 AED 3.41

60.22%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$45.8K AED 168.2K

-41.75%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$22.3K AED 82.0K

19.60%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$121 AED 444

-17.84%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$44.73 AED 164

-74.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$79.4 AED 291

-78.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$57.9 AED 213

-9.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$40.22 AED 148

-73.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$12.72 AED 46.70

-40.49%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$299 AED 1,099

86.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$4,462 AED 16.4K

157.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$80.6 AED 296

-21.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$53.1 AED 195

-46.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$119 AED 438

-19.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$117 AED 430

-24.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$767 AED 2,819

-4.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$657 AED 2,413

-29.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,660 AED 6,095

26.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,243 AED 4,563

-1.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$5,007 AED 18.4K

-30.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,962 AED 7,207

26.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,577 AED 5,791

-68.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.92

13.21%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Ras al-Khaimah

$657 35.7% 42.8% $197

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Ras al-Khaimah

$285 15.5% 6.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Ras al-Khaimah

$245 13.3% 91.4% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Ras al-Khaimah

$167 9.1% 34.3% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Ras al-Khaimah

$275 15% 127% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Ras al-Khaimah

$83 4.5% 23.6% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Ras al-Khaimah

$128 7% 230% $89

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $767 in Ras al-Khaimah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ras al-Khaimah pays 220% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $285 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

09:43 9:43 AM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

241,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ras al-Khaimah 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ras al-Khaimah

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 Ras al-Khaimah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 52% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 220% lower in Ras al-Khaimah. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $767 in Ras al-Khaimah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $299 in Ras al-Khaimah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Ras al-Khaimah. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ras al-Khaimah. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Phuket and Ras al-Khaimah 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Ras al-Khaimah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.