Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shaab

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,386 in Shaab, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Shaab
Learn more

Shaab Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Shaab

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shaab

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,386 in Shaab.

Phuket $1,278
Shaab $1,386

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,294 in Shaab.

Phuket $2,216
Shaab $2,294

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,201 in Shaab.

Phuket $3,154
Shaab $3,201

Living in Phuket costs roughly 8% less than in Shaab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Shaab is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.70 KWD 3.91

-64.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$63.2 KWD 19.47

-48.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.88 KWD 2.74

-0.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 KWD 0.96

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 KWD 1.53

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.21 KWD 1.61

-45.68%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.70 KWD 0.22

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.29 KWD 0.09

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.58 KWD 0.49

5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.46 KWD 0.45

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.98 KWD 0.61

-24.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.07 KWD 0.64

0.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$4.42 KWD 1.36

331.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.74 KWD 2.08

-51.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.17 KWD 3.13

7.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.52 KWD 0.78

16.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.92 KWD 0.59

-11.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.87 KWD 0.58

20.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.48 KWD 0.46

40.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.32 KWD 0.41

14.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.49 KWD 0.46

-7.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.30 KWD 0.71

-53.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.57 KWD 0.18

-8.77%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.69 KWD 0.83

56.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.81 KWD 0.25

79.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.87 KWD 1.50

-37.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.30 KWD 1.02

-69.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$15.86 KWD 4.89

-76.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.35 KWD 0.11

320.00%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$23.6K KWD 7,262

13.61%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$19.5K KWD 6,015

36.72%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$66.5 KWD 20.47

45.00%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.82 KWD 7.03

-50.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.54 KWD 9.10

-42.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$102 KWD 31.37

-33.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.90 KWD 3.97

-41.86%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$503 KWD 155

-5.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$9,302 KWD 2,866

21.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$37.18 KWD 11.46

67.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.66 KWD 12.22

-28.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$97.4 KWD 30.01

-3.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$87.5 KWD 26.94

-1.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$796 KWD 245

-10.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$617 KWD 190

-20.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,694 KWD 522

13.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,320 KWD 407

8.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,175 KWD 978

-84.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.53

-14.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shaab: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Shaab

$617 44.5% 25.6% $126

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Shaab

$186 13.4% 30.1% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Shaab

$119 8.6% 4.5% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shaab

$118 8.5% 3.4% $4.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shaab

$195 14.1% 60% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Shaab

$128 9.2% 55.2% $45

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Shaab

$25 * 1.8% 65.1% $46

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 $796 in Shaab. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shaab pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $63 in Shaab. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $186, with Shaab cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇼 Shaab

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

00:06 12:06 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

164,212

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Shaab 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shaab

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 Shaab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 84% 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 $796 in Shaab. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $503 in Shaab. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $63 in Shaab. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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

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