For one person, living is cheaper in Safi: $588 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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 Safi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $588 in Safi.
Phuket $1,278
Safi $588
Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $904 in Safi.
Phuket $2,216
Safi $904
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,221 in Safi.
Phuket $3,154
Safi $1,221
🌍
Living in Phuket is roughly 117% more expensive than in Safi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket6% lower, Safi57% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Safi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47฿151
$3.13MAD 30.76
42.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41฿1,093
$18.10MAD 178
79.06%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$8.81฿297
$6.06MAD 59.6
45.38%
Cappuccino
$2.83฿95.4
$1.49MAD 14.68
89.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87฿29.41
$0.46MAD 4.51
89.13%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49฿16.65
$0.34MAD 3.30
44.12%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.56฿86.3
$1.58MAD 15.49
62.03%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68฿124
$1.50MAD 14.77
145.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Safi
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.66฿55.9
$0.82MAD 8.08
102.44%
White Bread(500g)
$1.46฿49.31
$0.49MAD 4.84
197.96%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.50฿50.5
$1.58MAD 15.54
-5.06%
Eggs
$2.09฿70.5
$1.66MAD 16.31
25.90%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$19.07฿643
$6.63MAD 65.2
187.63%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.30฿111
$6.71MAD 65.9
-50.82%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$10.91฿368
$8.50MAD 83.6
28.35%
Apples(1kg)
$2.93฿98.9
$1.16MAD 11.43
152.59%
Banana(1kg)
$1.69฿57.0
$1.14MAD 11.24
48.25%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.25฿75.8
$0.76MAD 7.45
196.05%
Tomato(1kg)
$2.08฿70.0
$0.71MAD 6.96
192.96%
Potato(1kg)
$1.51฿51.0
$0.60MAD 5.86
151.67%
Onion(1kg)
$1.38฿46.52
$0.77MAD 7.61
79.22%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.07฿35.96
$0.39MAD 3.85
174.36%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52฿17.51
$0.61MAD 5.98
-14.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20฿142
$3.68MAD 36.14
14.13%
Wine(Bottle)
$18.79฿634
$7.57MAD 74.4
148.22%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82฿61.5
$1.90MAD 18.67
-4.21%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84฿95.8
$1.80MAD 17.71
57.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Safi
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$1.45฿48.98
$0.45MAD 4.41
222.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$56.7฿1,912
$10.21MAD 100
454.95%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$3.02฿102
$0.68MAD 6.64
344.12%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.02฿34.33
$0.49MAD 4.79
108.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$3.69฿125
$5.95MAD 58.5
-37.98%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.47฿49.76
$1.49MAD 14.63
-1.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K฿903.4K
$30.8KMAD 302.4K
-12.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K฿900.5K
$32.5KMAD 319.4K
-17.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Safi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$96.4฿3,251
$35.26MAD 347
173.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26฿380
$10.00MAD 98.3
12.60%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85฿568
$34.24MAD 337
-50.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Safi
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$67.2฿2,268
$18.60MAD 183
261.45%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73฿362
$5.14MAD 50.6
108.75%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50฿253
$3.58MAD 35.24
109.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Safi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$476฿16.1K
$96.0MAD 943
395.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$11.3K฿380.0K
$3,608MAD 35.5K
212.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Safi
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4฿2,104
$38.78MAD 381
60.80%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41฿958
$32.65MAD 321
-12.99%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$94.3฿3,181
$92.6MAD 910
1.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8฿2,895
$35.25MAD 347
143.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Safi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$716฿24.2K
$278MAD 2,734
157.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$491฿16.6K
$138MAD 1,355
256.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,927฿65.0K
$464MAD 4,557
315.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,431฿48.3K
$234MAD 2,300
511.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$4,175฿140.9K
$884MAD 8,687
372.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$3,045฿102.7K
$551MAD 5,413
452.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Safi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$502฿16.9K
$445MAD 4,374
12.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
5.57
4.55
22.42%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026
Last update for Safi: October 24, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491 38.4%
Safi
$138 23.5% ↓ 71.9%$353
🛒Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266 20.8%
Safi
$165 28% ↓ 38.1%$102
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124 9.7%
Safi
$80 13.5% ↓ 36.1%$45
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122 9.5%
Safi
$90 15.3% ↓ 26.4%$32
🍽Eating Out
Phuket
$122 9.5%
Safi
$75 12.8% ↓ 38.2%$47
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82 6.4%
Safi
$26 4.4% ↓ 68.7%$56
🚌Getting Around
Phuket
$71 5.5%
Safi
$15 2.6% ↓ 78.6%$55
🏠Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$1.4K 45.4%
Safi
$234 19.2% ↓ 83.6%$1.2K
🛒Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$600 19%
Safi
$374 30.6% ↓ 37.7%$226
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$136 4.3%
Safi
$90 7.3% ↓ 34.1%$46
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$271 8.6%
Safi
$199 16.3% ↓ 26.4%$72
🍽Eating Out
Phuket
$398 12.6%
Safi
$236 19.4% ↓ 40.6%$161
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$175 5.6%
Safi
$57 4.6% ↓ 67.6%$119
🚌Getting Around
Phuket
$144 4.6%
Safi
$31 2.6% ↓ 78.4%$113
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $278 in Safi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Phuket pays 13% 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 in Phuket vs $18 in Safi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $165 per month, with Safi cheaper across the board.
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 Safi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Safi cheaper than Phuket?
Safi is about 54% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Safi?
Average pay runs 13% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Safi?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $278 in Safi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $96 in Safi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Safi?
Supermarket bills run roughly 62% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Safi?
At $588 in Safi versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Safi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Safi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Safi?
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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Safi?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Safi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Safi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.