Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salalah and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Salalah: $1,055 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
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Salalah Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,055

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,055 in Salalah versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Salalah $1,055
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,587 in Salalah versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Salalah $1,587
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,118 in Salalah versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Salalah $2,118
Phuket $2,867

Living in Salalah costs roughly 13% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Salalah 22% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.07 OMR 1.95

$4.58 ฿153

10.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.69 OMR 9.89

$32.48 ฿1,086

-20.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 OMR 4.91

$8.55 ฿286

49.12%

Cappuccino

$6.05 OMR 2.33

$2.72 ฿91.0

122.43%

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

$0.90 OMR 0.35

$0.94 ฿31.25

-4.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.49 ฿16.39

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.98 OMR 3.46

$2.59 ฿86.6

246.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 OMR 3.94

$3.83 ฿128

166.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 OMR 0.73

$1.74 ฿58.1

8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.43 ฿47.82

-11.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 OMR 1.01

$1.53 ฿51.0

71.24%

Eggs

$1.91 OMR 0.74

$2.17 ฿72.7

-11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.58 OMR 1.76

$19.15 ฿640

-76.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.73 OMR 1.82

$3.30 ฿110

43.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 OMR 2.45

$11.14 ฿372

-42.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 OMR 0.75

$2.95 ฿98.5

-34.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 OMR 0.71

$1.68 ฿56.1

10.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 OMR 0.79

$2.30 ฿76.8

-10.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 OMR 0.69

$2.13 ฿71.3

-16.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 OMR 0.57

$1.53 ฿51.1

-2.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 OMR 0.39

$1.36 ฿45.55

-25.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 OMR 0.42

$1.12 ฿37.44

-1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 OMR 0.20

$0.55 ฿18.24

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 OMR 2.26

$4.26 ฿142

37.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.15 OMR 7.76

$18.19 ฿608

10.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 OMR 1.53

$1.74 ฿58.2

128.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 OMR 1.81

$2.79 ฿93.3

68.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 OMR 0.51

$2.22 ฿74.1

-40.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.8 OMR 21.09

$22.06 ฿737

148.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 OMR 0.87

$2.91 ฿97.3

-22.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 OMR 0.49

$1.01 ฿33.79

25.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.87 OMR 4.57

$3.83 ฿128

209.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$1.49 ฿49.85

-57.05%

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

$21.1K OMR 8,112

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-21.03%

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

$18.3K OMR 7,061

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-31.34%

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

$77.6 OMR 29.89

$99.4 ฿3,321

-21.87%

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

$48.92 OMR 18.84

$11.28 ฿377

333.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 OMR 28.39

$17.36 ฿580

324.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.07 OMR 15.04

$52.3 ฿1,747

-25.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.08 OMR 10.04

$10.85 ฿362

140.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 OMR 2.95

$7.57 ฿253

1.32%

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

$105 OMR 40.24

$558 ฿18.7K

-81.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,925 OMR 741

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-83.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.01 OMR 11.17

$62.9 ฿2,102

-53.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.47 OMR 12.12

$28.58 ฿955

10.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 OMR 22.69

$96.1 ฿3,213

-38.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.02 OMR 17.72

$88.1 ฿2,943

-47.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 OMR 94.1

$729 ฿24.4K

-66.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$205 OMR 79.0

$460 ฿15.4K

-55.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 OMR 241

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-70.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 OMR 149

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-68.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 OMR 770

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-42.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,203 OMR 463

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-51.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,769 OMR 681

$493 ฿16.5K

258.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.58

5.57

-17.77%

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

Last update for Salalah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Salalah

$231 21.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 15.9% $37

Eating Out

Salalah

$222 21%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 45.2% $100

Accommodation & Living

Salalah

$205 19.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 124% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salalah

$200 19%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 36.1% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Salalah

$74 7.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 66.6% $50

Getting Around

Salalah

$69 6.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 43.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Salalah

$54 5.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 23.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $244 in Salalah and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salalah pays 259% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26.00 in Salalah vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $231 vs $268 per month, with Salalah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Salalah

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:07 9:07 PM

00:07 12:07 AM

3 h ahead of Salalah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,469

79,308

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Salalah Phuket 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Salalah
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

Salalah vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salalah is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 259% higher in Salalah, 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: $244 in Salalah versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $105 in Salalah versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,055 in Salalah versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Salalah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Salalah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Salalah 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, Salalah 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 Salalah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.