Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Seef

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,661 in Seef, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Seef
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Seef Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Seef

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Seef

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,661 in Seef.

Phuket $1,278
Seef $1,661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,611 in Seef.

Phuket $2,216
Seef $2,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,560 in Seef.

Phuket $3,154
Seef $3,560

Living in Phuket costs roughly 23% less than in Seef, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Seef is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.10 BHD 3.03

-44.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$52.8 BHD 19.76

-38.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.15 BHD 3.05

8.10%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.09 BHD 1.90

-44.40%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.50 BHD 0.56

-42.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.81 BHD 0.30

-39.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$10.59 BHD 3.96

-75.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$18.29 BHD 6.84

-79.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.28 BHD 0.85

-27.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.31 BHD 0.49

11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.24 BHD 1.21

-53.70%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.50 BHD 0.56

39.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.63 BHD 3.97

79.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.08 BHD 2.27

-45.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.08 BHD 6.01

-32.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.10 BHD 1.16

-5.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.08 BHD 0.78

-18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.48 BHD 0.93

-9.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.85 BHD 0.69

12.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.03 BHD 0.39

33.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.92 BHD 0.72

-44.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.42 BHD 0.16

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.89 BHD 1.46

7.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.86 BHD 1.44

-52.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.66 BHD 1.00

6.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.69 BHD 0.26

110.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$66.7 BHD 24.94

-15.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.55 BHD 1.33

-14.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$3.25 BHD 1.21

-68.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.23 BHD 2.33

-40.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.62 BHD 0.23

137.10%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$97.2 BHD 36.34

-0.84%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$27.24 BHD 10.19

-58.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$45.90 BHD 17.17

-63.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$72.4 BHD 27.06

-7.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.73 BHD 4.01

-30.10%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$7,807 BHD 2,920

44.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$70.0 BHD 26.19

-10.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$53.1 BHD 19.86

-46.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$91.1 BHD 34.07

3.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$78.6 BHD 29.40

9.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$914 BHD 342

-21.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$675 BHD 252

-27.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,152 BHD 805

-10.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,371 BHD 513

4.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,325 BHD 1,243

-84.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Seef: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Seef

$675 40.6% 37.5% $184

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Seef

$252 * 15.2% 5.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Seef

$170 10.3% 36.8% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Seef

$132 7.9% 8.1% $9.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Seef

$249 15% 105% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Seef

$94 5.7% 14.1% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Seef

$89 5.4% 26.4% $19

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 $914 in Seef. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seef pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $53 in Seef. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $252, with Seef cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇭 Seef

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

05:32 5:32 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

6,564

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BHD = 2.67 USD

1 BHD = 2.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.374 BHD (1 BHD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 0.418 BHD (1 BHD = 2.39 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Seef 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Seef

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 Seef: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $914 in Seef. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $53 in Seef. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 15% less than in Seef. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,661 in Seef, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Seef. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Seef are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Seef on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.