Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Thika

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
Learn more

Thika Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Thika

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $518 in Thika.

Phuket $1,278
Thika $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $883 in Thika.

Phuket $2,216
Thika $883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,248 in Thika.

Phuket $3,154
Thika $1,248

Living in Phuket is roughly 147% more expensive than in Thika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Thika 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.52 KES 457

26.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$34.12 KES 4,431

-5.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.31 KES 819

39.62%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.97 KES 256

43.65%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.32 KES 41.83

171.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.67 KES 87.2

-26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.89 KES 246

35.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.10 KES 273

75.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.74 KES 96.4

124.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.45 KES 58.2

224.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.15 KES 149

30.43%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.37 KES 177

52.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.98 KES 1,426

73.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.75 KES 877

-51.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.01 KES 521

172.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.51 KES 196

94.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.60 KES 77.5

181.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.78 KES 102

188.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.14 KES 148

82.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.36 KES 47.22

319.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.48 KES 62.7

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.73 KES 95.0

46.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.37 KES 47.60

40.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.80 KES 364

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.72 KES 743

228.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.77 KES 230

2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.95 KES 253

45.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.52 KES 197

98.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.91 KES 118

12.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.95 KES 383

25.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.36 KES 177

8.09%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.0K KES 2.5M

40.92%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$21.4K KES 2.8M

24.47%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$34.61 KES 4,494

178.39%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.36 KES 1,994

-26.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$34.47 KES 4,477

-51.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$46.97 KES 6,100

43.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.68 KES 997

-2.34%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$53.3 KES 6,921

793.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$3,489 KES 453.1K

222.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$28.59 KES 3,713

118.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$29.22 KES 3,795

-2.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$68.7 KES 8,921

37.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$19.35 KES 2,513

343.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$101 KES 13.2K

605.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$56.9 KES 7,384

763.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$268 KES 34.8K

618.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$175 KES 22.7K

718.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$623 KES 80.9K

570.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.71

-62.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Thika: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Thika

$57 11% 88.4% $434

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Thika

$154 29.8% 42.1% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Thika

$84 16.3% 32.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Thika

$66 12.7% 46.1% $56

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Thika

$88 17.1% 27.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Thika

$62 12% 24.2% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Thika

$6.1 * 1.2% 91.4% $65

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 $101 in Thika. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $34 in Thika. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $154, with Thika cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇪 Thika

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

83,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Thika 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Thika

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 Thika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thika is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $777 in Thika 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: $716 in Phuket versus $101 in Thika. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $53 in Thika. 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 $34 in Thika. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $518 in Thika versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Thika but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Thika 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.