Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zahlah

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $997 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
Learn more

Zahlah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zahlah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $997 in Zahlah.

Phuket $1,207
Zahlah $997

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,599 in Zahlah.

Phuket $2,037
Zahlah $1,599

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,201 in Zahlah.

Phuket $2,867
Zahlah $2,201

Living in Phuket is roughly 21% more expensive than in Zahlah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Zahlah 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$11.97 LBP 1.1M

-61.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$69.5 LBP 6.2M

-53.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$9.85 LBP 881.9K

-13.20%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$4.50 LBP 402.9K

-39.56%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.40 LBP 214.6K

-60.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.91 LBP 81.3K

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$5.01 LBP 448.5K

-48.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.83 LBP 432.6K

-20.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.94 LBP 173.8K

-10.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.87 LBP 77.6K

64.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.24 LBP 200.7K

-31.70%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.55 LBP 317.8K

-38.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$11.24 LBP 1.0M

70.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$10.46 LBP 935.8K

-68.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$14.81 LBP 1.3M

-24.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.01 LBP 269.1K

-1.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.65 LBP 147.4K

1.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.62 LBP 144.8K

41.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.48 LBP 132.1K

43.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.26 LBP 112.9K

21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.61 LBP 143.7K

-15.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.16 LBP 104.2K

-3.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

-22.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.93 LBP 262.0K

45.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.80 LBP 966.9K

68.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.27 LBP 113.3K

37.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.47 LBP 220.9K

12.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$4.86 LBP 435.3K

-40.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$2.24 LBP 200.1K

-54.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$22.27 LBP 2.0M

-82.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.04 LBP 93.3K

43.27%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$54.2K LBP 4.8B

-50.76%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

-17.32%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$233 LBP 20.9M

-57.43%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$22.43 LBP 2.0M

-49.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$37.64 LBP 3.4M

-53.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$9.81 LBP 878.1K

-22.83%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$675 LBP 60.4M

-17.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$10.5K LBP 936.1M

9.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$67.0 LBP 6.0M

-6.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$48.56 LBP 4.3M

-41.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$138 LBP 12.3M

-30.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$119 LBP 10.6M

-25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zahlah: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Zahlah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Zahlah

$274 27.4% 2.2% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Zahlah

$294 29.4% 129% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Zahlah

$167 16.8% 35% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Zahlah

$227 22.8% 87.4% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Zahlah

$20 * 2% 70.9% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6% 58.8% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $70.0 in Zahlah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $274 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

04:37 4:37 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

78,145

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Zahlah 6,990 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zahlah

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 Zahlah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zahlah is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,496 in Zahlah 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 $558 in Phuket versus $675 in Zahlah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zahlah – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $997 in Zahlah versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zahlah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zahlah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zahlah is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Zahlah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zahlah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.