Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sidon

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidon: $983 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Phuket, Thailand
Sidon, Lebanon
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Sidon
🇱🇧 Lebanon
$983
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sidon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $983 in Sidon.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Sidon $983

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,586 in Sidon.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Sidon $1,586

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,189 in Sidon.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Sidon $2,189

Living in Phuket is roughly 30% more expensive than in Sidon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sidon 28% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Sidon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$12.02 LBP 1.1M
-62.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,092
$68.6 LBP 6.1M
-52.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$10.19 LBP 911.8K
-13.54%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.3
$4.59 LBP 410.8K
-38.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.37
$2.36 LBP 210.9K
-63.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.64
$0.88 LBP 79.1K
-44.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.2
$4.89 LBP 437.7K
-47.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$4.66 LBP 417.4K
-21.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Sidon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.92 LBP 171.6K
-13.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.25
$0.90 LBP 80.3K
62.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$2.20 LBP 196.7K
-31.82%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.4
$3.65 LBP 326.7K
-42.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿642
$11.24 LBP 1.0M
69.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$10.39 LBP 930.2K
-68.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$14.76 LBP 1.3M
-26.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.7
$3.02 LBP 270.0K
-2.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$1.72 LBP 153.7K
-1.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$1.64 LBP 146.5K
37.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$1.46 LBP 130.5K
42.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$1.21 LBP 107.9K
24.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.47
$1.62 LBP 144.5K
-14.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.91
$1.22 LBP 109.6K
-12.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.49
$0.73 LBP 65.7K
-28.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$3.08 LBP 275.8K
36.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿633
$11.09 LBP 992.6K
69.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$1.31 LBP 117.3K
38.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.7
$2.54 LBP 227.5K
11.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Sidon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.93
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,909
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$4.88 LBP 436.8K
-38.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.29
$2.27 LBP 203.0K
-55.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
$22.74 LBP 2.0M
-83.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.70
$1.08 LBP 96.7K
36.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿902.4K
$53.2K LBP 4.8B
-49.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿899.5K
$32.9K LBP 2.9B
-18.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Sidon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,247
$211 LBP 18.9M
-54.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$23.59 LBP 2.1M
-52.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$38.71 LBP 3.5M
-56.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Sidon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,266
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿361
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$9.84 LBP 880.8K
-23.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Sidon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.0K
$693 LBP 62.0M
-31.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.6K
$10.5K LBP 941.5M
7.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Sidon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,102
$68.0 LBP 6.1M
-8.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿957
$50.1 LBP 4.5M
-43.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,178
$141 LBP 12.6M
-33.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,892
$118 LBP 10.6M
-27.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Sidon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.5K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿64.9K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.6K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Sidon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
11
-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sidon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Sidon
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Sidon
$275 3.3% $8.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Sidon
$274 120% $149
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Sidon
$170 39.4% $48
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Sidon
$229 87.8% $107
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Sidon
$20 * 76.1% $63
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Sidon
$16 * 77% $54

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $69 in Sidon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $275 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇱🇧 Sidon
🕒 Local time
07:12 7:12 AM
02:12 2:12 AM
5 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
163,554
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,632 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Sidon 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Sidon

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 Sidon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sidon cheaper than Phuket?
Sidon is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,475 in Sidon 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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $693 in Sidon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Sidon?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $69 in Sidon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Sidon?
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.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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