Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sakakah

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Sakakah: $1,208 and $1,164 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Sakakah
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Sakakah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Sakakah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sakakah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,164 in Sakakah.

Phuket $1,208
Sakakah $1,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,735 in Sakakah.

Phuket $2,027
Sakakah $1,735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,307 in Sakakah.

Phuket $2,845
Sakakah $2,307

Living in Phuket is roughly 4% more expensive than in Sakakah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Sakakah 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$5.83 SAR 21.86

-24.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$37.76 SAR 142

-14.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$8.12 SAR 30.47

7.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 SAR 7.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.66 SAR 13.74

-22.68%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.65 SAR 2.43

38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.34 SAR 1.29

38.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.73 SAR 6.48

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.20 SAR 4.50

22.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.42 SAR 9.08

-37.60%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.35 SAR 8.81

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$7.96 SAR 29.86

147.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$7.23 SAR 27.14

-53.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$12.66 SAR 47.52

-11.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.13 SAR 8.01

33.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.66 SAR 6.24

2.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.59 SAR 5.97

37.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.60 SAR 6.02

28.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.23 SAR 4.63

17.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.33 SAR 4.99

3.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.19 SAR 4.45

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.52 SAR 1.96

-1.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.92 SAR 10.94

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 SAR 6.37

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 SAR 7.68

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.77 SAR 25.40

-37.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.15 SAR 4.32

96.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$33.72 SAR 127

-34.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.75 SAR 10.33

9.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.89 SAR 7.08

-43.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$12.51 SAR 46.94

-69.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.59 SAR 2.22

145.76%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$30.5K SAR 114.6K

-13.77%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$24.2K SAR 90.9K

11.20%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$96.5 SAR 362

-0.13%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$32.92 SAR 124

-66.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$62.6 SAR 235

-72.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$80.7 SAR 303

-35.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$13.65 SAR 51.2

-42.78%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$479 SAR 1,799

15.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,334 SAR 27.5K

57.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$45.40 SAR 170

41.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$57.5 SAR 216

-50.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$101 SAR 379

-5.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$84.0 SAR 315

4.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$576 SAR 2,163

27.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$366 SAR 1,374

26.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$809 SAR 3,035

158.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$561 SAR 2,105

114.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,055 SAR 7,710

69.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,302 SAR 4,887

93.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$930 SAR 3,490

-46.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.54

0.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sakakah: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Sakakah

$366 31.5% 20.8% $96

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Sakakah

$199 17.1% 26% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Sakakah

$192 16.5% 54.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Sakakah

$130 11.1% 4.2% $5.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Sakakah

$119 10.2% 2% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Sakakah

$108 9.3% 59.3% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Sakakah

$51 4.3% 28.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $576 in Sakakah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sakakah pays 86% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $38.00 in Sakakah. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $199, with Sakakah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇦 Sakakah

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

15:31 3:31 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

242,813

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Sakakah 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sakakah

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 Sakakah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sakakah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and eating out. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Sakakah. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $576 in Sakakah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $479 in Sakakah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,164 in Sakakah versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sakakah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sakakah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sakakah 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 Sakakah 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 Sakakah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.