Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shibin Al Kawm

For one person, living is cheaper in Shibin Al Kawm: $458 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Shibin Al Kawm
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Shibin Al Kawm Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Shibin Al Kawm

🇪🇬 Egypt

$458

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $458 in Shibin Al Kawm.

Phuket $1,208
Shibin Al Kawm $458

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $730 in Shibin Al Kawm.

Phuket $2,027
Shibin Al Kawm $730

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,003 in Shibin Al Kawm.

Phuket $2,845
Shibin Al Kawm $1,003

Living in Phuket is roughly 164% more expensive than in Shibin Al Kawm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Shibin Al Kawm 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$4.16 E£232

5.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,088

$11.51 E£642

180.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$4.78 E£267

83.26%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.32 E£73.4

114.39%

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

$0.90 ฿30.42

$0.27 E£14.84

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$0.11 E£6.20

327.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$1.31 E£72.8

94.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.93 E£163

30.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$0.80 E£44.51

116.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.56

$0.72 E£39.90

104.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.59 E£33.14

155.93%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.19 E£66.6

82.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿664

$3.91 E£218

403.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$4.39 E£245

-23.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿376

$9.38 E£523

18.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$1.54 E£86.0

85.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$0.74 E£41.10

129.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.9

$0.55 E£30.72

298.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$0.33 E£18.35

521.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.02

$0.24 E£13.38

504.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.59

$0.32 E£17.95

331.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.02

$0.27 E£15.09

296.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$0.20 E£11.37

155.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$1.94 E£108

119.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$5.62 E£313

230.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$1.25 E£69.9

42.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$2.23 E£124

27.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$0.18 E£10.26

1155.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿745

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$0.56 E£31.03

437.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.67

$0.17 E£9.38

523.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$1.15 E£64.1

235.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.43 E£24.08

237.21%

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

$26.3K ฿888.1K

$31.7K E£1.8M

-17.05%

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

$26.9K ฿908.8K

$26.6K E£1.5M

1.46%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$14.50 E£808

564.69%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$6.85 E£382

61.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$13.24 E£738

29.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$15.90 E£887

228.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$2.92 E£163

167.47%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$85.1 E£4,744

553.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.6K

$2,145 E£119.6K

440.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$33.51 E£1,869

91.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$45.24 E£2,523

-36.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$129 E£7,209

-26.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$57.1 E£3,185

54.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$133 E£7,417

454.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$75.6 E£4,214

511.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$249 E£13.9K

739.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$142 E£7,927

744.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.6K

$765 E£42.7K

355.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$345 E£19.2K

631.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.33

-73.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Shibin Al Kawm: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Shibin Al Kawm

$76 16.5% 83.7% $387

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Shibin Al Kawm

$127 27.7% 52.7% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Shibin Al Kawm

$35 7.6% 72.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Shibin Al Kawm

$119 26.1% 4% $5

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Shibin Al Kawm

$77 16.9% 36.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Shibin Al Kawm

$22 4.8% 67.9% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Shibin Al Kawm

$2.1 * 0.5% 94.6% $37

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 $737 in Phuket and $133 in Shibin Al Kawm. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $12 in Shibin Al Kawm for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $127 per month, with Shibin Al Kawm cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇬 Shibin Al Kawm

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

08:38 8:38 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

184,097

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.84 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Shibin Al Kawm 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shibin Al Kawm is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. The 164% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $686 in Shibin Al Kawm to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $133 in Shibin Al Kawm. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $85 in Shibin Al Kawm. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shibin Al Kawm – a meal for two runs $12 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $458 in Shibin Al Kawm versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Shibin Al Kawm but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shibin Al Kawm 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.