Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qena and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Qena: $468 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Qena
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Qena Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Qena

🇪🇬 Egypt

$468

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Qena and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Qena and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $468 in Qena versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Qena $468
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $746 in Qena versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Qena $746
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,023 in Qena versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Qena $1,023
Phuket $2,867

Living in Qena costs roughly 61% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Qena 65% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 E£205

$4.58 ฿154

-16.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.99 E£801

$32.48 ฿1,089

-53.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.78 E£309

$8.55 ฿287

-32.40%

Cappuccino

$2.00 E£107

$2.72 ฿91.2

-26.47%

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

$0.50 E£26.78

$0.94 ฿31.33

-46.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 E£9.56

$0.49 ฿16.44

-63.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 E£103

$2.59 ฿86.8

-25.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 E£162

$3.83 ฿128

-20.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£51.7

$1.74 ฿58.2

-44.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 E£40.69

$1.43 ฿47.95

-46.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 E£35.14

$1.53 ฿51.2

-56.86%

Eggs

$1.93 E£103

$2.17 ฿72.9

-11.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.15 E£169

$19.15 ฿642

-83.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.61 E£300

$3.30 ฿111

70.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.89 E£528

$11.14 ฿373

-11.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 E£79.2

$2.95 ฿98.8

-49.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.52 E£27.67

$1.68 ฿56.3

-69.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.67

$2.30 ฿77.0

-82.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.99

$2.13 ฿71.5

-80.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 E£18.28

$1.53 ฿51.2

-77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 E£20.87

$1.36 ฿45.67

-71.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£14.25

$1.12 ฿37.54

-75.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.18 E£9.69

$0.55 ฿18.29

-67.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 E£114

$4.26 ฿143

-49.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.22 E£386

$18.19 ฿610

-60.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 E£67.1

$1.74 ฿58.4

-27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 E£91.6

$2.79 ฿93.6

-38.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 E£9.02

$2.22 ฿74.3

-92.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿739

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£20.03

$2.91 ฿97.6

-87.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 E£11.18

$1.01 ฿33.89

-79.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 E£67.1

$3.83 ฿128

-67.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.75

$1.49 ฿49.98

-71.14%

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

$31.9K E£1.7M

$26.7K ฿894.0K

19.50%

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

$21.8K E£1.2M

$26.7K ฿895.1K

-18.56%

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

$25.42 E£1,359

$99.4 ฿3,330

-74.42%

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

$7.95 E£425

$11.28 ฿378

-29.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.28 E£496

$17.36 ฿582

-46.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.61 E£834

$52.3 ฿1,752

-70.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿363

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 E£181

$7.57 ฿254

-55.22%

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

$101 E£5,375

$558 ฿18.7K

-81.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$598 E£32.0K

$11.5K ฿384.9K

-94.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.95 E£1,066

$62.9 ฿2,107

-68.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.52 E£1,791

$28.58 ฿958

17.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 E£6,579

$96.1 ฿3,222

28.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.92 E£1,545

$88.1 ฿2,951

-67.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 E£7,086

$729 ฿24.4K

-81.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.8 E£4,265

$460 ฿15.4K

-82.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 E£14.9K

$2,096 ฿70.2K

-86.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 E£7,723

$1,222 ฿41.0K

-88.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$709 E£37.9K

$3,459 ฿115.9K

-79.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$300 E£16.0K

$2,489 ฿83.4K

-87.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

5.57

191.02%

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

Last update for Qena: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Qena

$138 29.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 93.6% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Qena

$92 19.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 34.1% $32

Eating Out

Qena

$90 19.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 34.1% $31

Accommodation & Living

Qena

$80 17.1%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 476% $380

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qena

$43 9.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 200% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Qena

$22 4.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 201% $45

Getting Around

Qena

$2.1 * 0.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 1752% $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 $133 in Qena and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $15.00 in Qena vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $138 vs $268 per month, with Qena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Qena

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

23:02 11:02 PM

4 h ahead of Qena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

235,362

79,308

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 53.44 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 59.84 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 33.51 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.53 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Qena Phuket 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Qena
Phuket

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

Qena vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qena is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 158% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $702 in Qena and $1,811 in Phuket 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: $133 in Qena versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $101 in Qena versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Qena – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $468 in Qena versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Qena but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Qena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Qena 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, Qena and Phuket 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 Qena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 158% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.