Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sharm El Sheikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $442 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$442

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $442 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Phuket $1,278
Sharm El Sheikh $442

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $674 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Phuket $2,216
Sharm El Sheikh $674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $905 in Sharm El Sheikh.

Phuket $3,154
Sharm El Sheikh $905

Living in Phuket is roughly 189% more expensive than in Sharm El Sheikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sharm El Sheikh 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$21.07 E£1,179

53.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.46 E£249

97.53%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.17 E£121

30.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.33 E£18.71

163.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.51 E£28.56

-3.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.46 E£194

-26.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.36 E£244

-15.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.83 E£46.18

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.42 E£23.72

257.14%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.08 E£60.4

93.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.46 E£193

-4.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.39 E£77.7

110.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.45 E£25.38

275.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.42 E£23.77

435.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.26 E£14.41

700.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.06 E£115

103.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.39 E£77.9

30.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.08 E£4.38

1712.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.43 E£24.07

241.86%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$29.6K E£1.7M

-9.67%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$20.4K E£1.1M

30.89%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.80 E£604

4.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$27.30 E£1,528

-38.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$337 E£18.8K

112.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$284 E£15.9K

73.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$588 E£32.9K

227.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$506 E£28.3K

182.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$950 E£53.2K

339.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$663 E£37.1K

359.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$141 E£7,907

255.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

26.5

-78.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sharm El Sheikh

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $337 in Sharm El Sheikh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $21 in Sharm El Sheikh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $51 per month, with Sharm El Sheikh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

03:47 3:47 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

38,478

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55.95 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.47 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Phuket Sharm El Sheikh 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Phuket
Sharm El Sheikh

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 Sharm El Sheikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sharm El Sheikh is about 65% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 3.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $337 in Sharm El Sheikh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 420% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh – a meal for two runs $21 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $442 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sharm El Sheikh but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sharm El Sheikh the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Sharm El Sheikh are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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