Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seef and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,642 in Seef, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Seef
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Seef Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Seef

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,642

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,642 in Seef versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Seef $1,642
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,604 in Seef versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Seef $2,604
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,566 in Seef versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Seef $3,566
Phuket $2,822

Living in Seef is roughly 38% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Seef is 23% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 BHD 3.01

$4.35 ฿146

83.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.2 BHD 19.70

$32.45 ฿1,087

60.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 BHD 3.03

$8.42 ฿282

-4.75%

Cappuccino

$5.23 BHD 1.98

$2.81 ฿94.0

86.12%

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

$1.55 BHD 0.58

$0.87 ฿29.29

78.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 BHD 0.31

$0.46 ฿15.39

80.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.57 BHD 3.99

$2.59 ฿86.6

308.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$18.91 BHD 7.14

$3.64 ฿122

419.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 BHD 0.84

$1.71 ฿57.2

29.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 BHD 0.49

$1.45 ฿48.42

-10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 BHD 1.17

$1.56 ฿52.3

98.08%

Eggs

$1.49 BHD 0.56

$2.10 ฿70.3

-29.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 BHD 4.07

$19.53 ฿654

-44.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 BHD 2.28

$3.40 ฿114

77.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.62 BHD 5.90

$11.14 ฿373

40.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 BHD 1.22

$2.83 ฿94.8

14.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 BHD 0.80

$1.62 ฿54.3

30.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 BHD 0.95

$2.22 ฿74.5

13.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 BHD 0.71

$2.15 ฿71.9

-12.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BHD 0.39

$1.33 ฿44.40

-21.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 BHD 0.72

$1.07 ฿35.72

78.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 BHD 0.14

$0.51 ฿17.01

-25.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 BHD 1.47

$4.38 ฿147

-11.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 BHD 1.41

$1.74 ฿58.3

114.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 BHD 1.01

$2.78 ฿92.9

-3.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 BHD 0.24

$2.17 ฿72.6

-70.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.4 BHD 25.04

$22.28 ฿746

197.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 BHD 1.36

$3.02 ฿101

19.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 BHD 1.26

$1.06 ฿35.43

214.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.33 BHD 2.39

$3.71 ฿124

70.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 BHD 0.23

$1.43 ฿47.88

-57.34%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

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

$97.0 BHD 36.60

$96.7 ฿3,236

0.33%

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

$27.33 BHD 10.32

$11.41 ฿382

139.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.84 BHD 17.30

$17.11 ฿573

167.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.4 BHD 27.70

$52.8 ฿1,768

39.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$10.53 BHD 3.97

$7.65 ฿256

37.65%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,977 BHD 3,011

$11.3K ฿377.7K

-29.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 BHD 25.95

$63.4 ฿2,123

8.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 BHD 20.31

$28.61 ฿958

88.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 BHD 34.34

$96.7 ฿3,238

-5.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 BHD 29.48

$88.6 ฿2,967

-11.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$921 BHD 348

$735 ฿24.6K

25.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 BHD 261

$458 ฿15.3K

50.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,104 BHD 794

$2,102 ฿70.4K

0.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 BHD 537

$1,187 ฿39.7K

19.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,424 BHD 1,292

$501 ฿16.8K

583.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Seef: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seef

$691 41.2%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 33.7% $233

Eating Out

Seef

$251 15%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 52.5% $132

Groceries & Markets

Seef

$250 * 14.9%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 7.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seef

$170 10.2%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 26.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Seef

$131 7.8%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 4.9% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Seef

$94 5.6%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 27.9% $26

Getting Around

Seef

$89 5.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 56% $50

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 $921 in Seef and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seef pays 584% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52.0 in Seef vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $268, with Seef cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇭 Seef

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

4 h ahead of Seef

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,564

79,308

💱 Currency

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.423 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to BHD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Seef Phuket 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Seef
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

Seef vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 38% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 584% higher in Seef, 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: $921 in Seef versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $52.0 in Seef. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 198% less than in Seef. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,642 in Seef, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Seef. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Seef 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Seef. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.