Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,796 in Sharjah versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Sharjah versus $2,054 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,349 in Sharjah versus $2,876 in Phuket.

Living in Sharjah is roughly 46% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sharjah is 31% above, Phuket is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.34 AED 19.60

$4.41 ฿147

21.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.04 AED 132

$32.26 ฿1,077

11.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 AED 29.78

$8.93 ฿298

-9.18%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.34 AED 34.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.63 AED 35.36

Cappuccino

$3.54 AED 13.00

$2.90 ฿96.6

22.07%

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

$0.80 AED 2.93

$0.88 ฿29.38

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 AED 1.17

$0.48 ฿16.06

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 AED 5.52

$1.87 ฿62.3

-19.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 AED 4.37

$1.47 ฿48.94

-19.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.68

$1.55 ฿51.8

17.42%

Eggs

$2.95 AED 10.85

$2.10 ฿70.1

40.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 AED 31.50

$19.59 ฿654

-56.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.98 AED 25.64

$3.42 ฿114

104.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 AED 41.24

$11.38 ฿380

-1.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 AED 8.28

$2.98 ฿99.6

-24.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 AED 6.08

$1.68 ฿56.2

-1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 AED 5.63

$2.21 ฿73.7

-30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 AED 4.93

$2.16 ฿72.1

-37.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 AED 3.89

$1.52 ฿50.9

-30.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.30

$1.34 ฿44.67

-12.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 AED 5.39

$1.13 ฿37.67

30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 AED 2.11

$0.55 ฿18.24

3.64%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.42 AED 56.6

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 AED 9.23

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 AED 9.45

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 AED 24.06

$4.26 ฿142

53.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿637

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 AED 8.13

$2.23 ฿74.4

-0.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.81 AED 98.5

$22.74 ฿759

17.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 AED 13.62

$3.03 ฿101

22.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.06

$1.02 ฿34.15

-45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.00 AED 44.07

$3.89 ฿130

208.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.58

$1.49 ฿49.77

-34.23%

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

$45.4K AED 166.8K

$26.6K ฿887.3K

70.87%

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

$22.1K AED 81.3K

$27.0K ฿902.2K

-18.11%

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

$209 AED 766

$102 ฿3,420

103.66%

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

$49.53 AED 182

$11.33 ฿378

337.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$97.8 AED 359

$17.40 ฿581

462.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 AED 200

$52.1 ฿1,738

4.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.66 AED 79.5

$11.07 ฿370

95.66%

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 AED 49.40

$7.69 ฿257

74.90%

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

$323 AED 1,186

$561 ฿18.7K

-42.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,883 AED 32.6K

$11.5K ฿384.1K

-22.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 AED 218

$63.0 ฿2,104

-5.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.0 AED 283

$29.52 ฿986

160.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 AED 401

$98.0 ฿3,272

11.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 AED 347

$88.5 ฿2,954

6.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 AED 3,053

$738 ฿24.6K

12.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$901 AED 3,310

$482 ฿16.1K

86.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 AED 6,694

$2,107 ฿70.3K

-13.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 AED 5,211

$1,226 ฿40.9K

15.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,211 AED 30.2K

$3,617 ฿120.7K

127.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,718 AED 9,981

$2,603 ฿86.9K

4.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,184 AED 8,020

$494 ฿16.5K

342.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.57

-19.21%

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

Last update for Sharjah: September 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $831 in Sharjah and $738 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sharjah pays 342% 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: $36.00 in Sharjah vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $193 vs $274, with Sharjah cheaper for home cooking.

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

Sharjah vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 342% higher in Sharjah, 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: $831 in Sharjah versus $738 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $323 in Sharjah versus $561 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sharjah pay roughly 42% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,796 in Sharjah, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sharjah. 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 Sharjah, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sharjah 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 46% less than in Sharjah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.