Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Riffa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Riffa: $1,211 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Riffa
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Riffa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Riffa

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,211

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Riffa 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 Riffa and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,211 in Riffa versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Riffa $1,211
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,868 in Riffa versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Riffa $1,868
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,525 in Riffa versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Riffa $2,525
Phuket $3,154

Living in Riffa costs roughly 5% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Riffa 11% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.32 BHD 1.99

$4.47 ฿151

19.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.15 BHD 15.01

$32.41 ฿1,093

23.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.85 BHD 2.19

$8.81 ฿297

-33.60%

Cappuccino

$3.93 BHD 1.47

$2.83 ฿95.4

38.87%

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

$0.63 BHD 0.24

$0.87 ฿29.40

-27.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 BHD 0.10

$0.49 ฿16.65

-46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.71 BHD 2.51

$2.56 ฿86.3

162.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 BHD 2.98

$3.68 ฿124

116.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 BHD 0.52

$1.66 ฿55.9

-15.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 BHD 0.25

$1.46 ฿49.29

-54.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 BHD 0.69

$1.50 ฿50.5

22.67%

Eggs

$2.22 BHD 0.83

$2.09 ฿70.5

6.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 BHD 3.05

$19.07 ฿643

-57.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.00 BHD 2.25

$3.30 ฿111

81.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 BHD 3.19

$10.91 ฿368

-21.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 BHD 0.85

$2.93 ฿98.8

-22.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 BHD 0.66

$1.69 ฿57.0

4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BHD 0.68

$2.25 ฿75.7

-18.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 BHD 0.40

$2.08 ฿70.0

-48.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 BHD 0.40

$1.51 ฿51.0

-29.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 BHD 0.24

$1.38 ฿46.51

-54.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 BHD 0.19

$1.07 ฿35.95

-52.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 BHD 0.19

$0.52 ฿17.50

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.33 BHD 1.99

$4.20 ฿142

26.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.15 BHD 4.92

$18.79 ฿634

-30.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 BHD 0.70

$1.82 ฿61.4

2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 BHD 1.01

$2.84 ฿95.8

-5.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 BHD 0.29

$1.45 ฿48.97

-47.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.33 BHD 13.21

$56.7 ฿1,911

-37.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 BHD 1.98

$3.02 ฿102

75.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.53 BHD 1.32

$1.02 ฿34.32

246.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.70 BHD 4.00

$3.69 ฿124

189.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 BHD 0.19

$1.47 ฿49.75

-65.99%

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

$22.8K BHD 8,522

$26.8K ฿903.2K

-14.90%

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

$19.4K BHD 7,254

$26.7K ฿900.3K

-27.33%

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

$133 BHD 49.56

$96.4 ฿3,250

37.54%

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

$24.38 BHD 9.12

$11.26 ฿380

116.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.65 BHD 13.33

$16.85 ฿568

111.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.5 BHD 27.49

$67.2 ฿2,268

9.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.07 BHD 4.89

$10.73 ฿362

21.81%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 BHD 3.96

$7.50 ฿253

41.20%

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

$633 BHD 237

$476 ฿16.1K

33.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,805 BHD 2,171

$11.3K ฿379.9K

-48.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.31 BHD 10.96

$62.4 ฿2,103

-53.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.27 BHD 7.95

$28.41 ฿958

-25.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.3 BHD 25.17

$94.3 ฿3,180

-28.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.08 BHD 14.61

$85.8 ฿2,894

-54.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 BHD 344

$716 ฿24.1K

28.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 BHD 159

$491 ฿16.6K

-13.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 BHD 570

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-20.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 BHD 318

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-40.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,411 BHD 528

$502 ฿16.9K

180.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

5.57

-1.26%

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

Last update for Riffa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Riffa

$426 35.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 15.3% $65

Groceries & Markets

Riffa

$205 17%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 29.7% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Riffa

$193 15.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 35.4% $68

Eating Out

Riffa

$160 13.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 24.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Riffa

$95 7.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 13.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Riffa

$71 5.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 72.6% $51

Getting Around

Riffa

$61 5.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 15.1% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $919 in Riffa and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riffa pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40 in Riffa vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $266, with Riffa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Riffa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

03:32 3:32 AM

4 h ahead of Riffa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,566

79,308

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.67 USD

1 BHD = 2.39 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BHD – Bahraini Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇭 Bahraini Dinar (.د.ب)

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.374 BHD (1 BHD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 0.419 BHD (1 BHD = 2.39 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Riffa Phuket 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Riffa
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

Riffa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Riffa is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Riffa is about 2.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $919 in Riffa versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $633 in Riffa versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Riffa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Riffa and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.