Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Umm Salal 'ali

For one person, living is cheaper in Umm Salal ’ali: $790 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Umm Salal 'ali
Learn more

Umm Salal 'ali Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Umm Salal 'ali

🇶🇦 Qatar

$790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Umm Salal 'ali

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 Umm Salal 'ali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $790 in Umm Salal ’ali.

Phuket $1,294
Umm Salal 'ali $790

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,348 in Umm Salal ’ali.

Phuket $2,204
Umm Salal 'ali $1,348

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,906 in Umm Salal ’ali.

Phuket $3,115
Umm Salal 'ali $1,906

Living in Phuket is roughly 64% more expensive than in Umm Salal ’ali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Umm Salal ’ali 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$11.15 QAR 40.59

-60.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$73.2 QAR 266

-55.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$8.37 QAR 30.48

3.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.34 QAR 44.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.65 QAR 49.69

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$5.94 QAR 21.62

-54.21%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$1.01 QAR 3.67

-7.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.46 QAR 1.69

8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.08 QAR 7.59

-16.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.43 QAR 5.21

1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.85 QAR 6.72

-18.92%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$3.42 QAR 12.45

-36.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$11.17 QAR 40.66

70.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$8.44 QAR 30.71

-59.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$11.57 QAR 42.11

-5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$2.25 QAR 8.20

30.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.83 QAR 6.66

-7.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$1.61 QAR 5.88

36.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$1.25 QAR 4.56

69.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$1.00 QAR 3.63

46.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$1.01 QAR 3.68

35.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$1.39 QAR 5.07

-22.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.51 QAR 1.85

7.84%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.55 QAR 34.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 QAR 6.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 QAR 8.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$6.74 QAR 24.52

-34.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.96 QAR 7.13

-22.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$1.97 QAR 7.18

-60.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$13.87 QAR 50.5

-72.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$0.58 QAR 2.12

156.90%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$24.1K QAR 87.8K

11.47%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$21.6K QAR 78.7K

21.90%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$91.0 QAR 331

7.52%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$34.21 QAR 125

-67.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$86.8 QAR 316

-80.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$12.16 QAR 44.28

-38.90%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$737 QAR 2,683

-28.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$16.8K QAR 61.1K

11.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$61.6 QAR 224

0.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$48.39 QAR 176

-41.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$99.4 QAR 362

-3.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$83.9 QAR 305

3.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.92

-5.91%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Umm Salal 'ali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Umm Salal 'ali

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Umm Salal 'ali

$218 27.6% 18.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Umm Salal 'ali

$212 26.8% 67.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Umm Salal 'ali

$132 16.7% 7.5% $9.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Umm Salal 'ali

$191 24.2% 60.2% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Umm Salal 'ali

$24 * 3.1% 70.8% $59

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Umm Salal 'ali

$12 * 1.5% 82.1% $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 $73 in Umm Salal ’ali. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $218, with Umm Salal ’ali cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇶🇦 Umm Salal 'ali

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

09:10 9:10 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

33,909

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 QAR (1 QAR = 0.245 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Umm Salal 'ali 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Umm Salal 'ali

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 Umm Salal 'ali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Umm Salal ’ali is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,185 in Umm Salal ’ali 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.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $737 in Umm Salal ’ali. 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 $73 in Umm Salal ’ali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $790 in Umm Salal ’ali versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Umm Salal ’ali but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Umm Salal ’ali 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 Umm Salal ’ali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.