Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,726 in Sharjah, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,726 in Sharjah versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sharjah $1,726
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,594 in Sharjah versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sharjah $2,594
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,462 in Sharjah versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sharjah $3,462
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sharjah is roughly 35% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sharjah is 27% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.88 AED 21.58

$4.47 ฿151

31.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.16 AED 118

$32.41 ฿1,093

-0.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 AED 29.87

$8.81 ฿297

-7.72%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 AED 35.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 AED 34.12

Cappuccino

$3.12 AED 11.46

$2.83 ฿95.4

10.25%

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

$0.75 AED 2.75

$0.87 ฿29.41

-13.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 AED 1.15

$0.49 ฿16.65

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 AED 5.84

$1.66 ฿55.9

-4.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 AED 4.40

$1.46 ฿49.31

-17.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.70

$1.50 ฿50.5

21.33%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.20

$2.09 ฿70.5

58.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 AED 31.77

$19.07 ฿643

-54.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 AED 24.01

$3.30 ฿111

98.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 AED 42.09

$10.91 ฿368

5.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 AED 8.28

$2.93 ฿98.9

-22.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 AED 6.44

$1.69 ฿57.0

3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 AED 4.83

$2.25 ฿75.8

-41.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 AED 4.50

$2.08 ฿70.0

-40.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 AED 3.96

$1.51 ฿51.0

-28.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.06

$1.38 ฿46.52

-20.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 AED 5.20

$1.07 ฿35.96

32.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 AED 2.18

$0.52 ฿17.51

13.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.45 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 AED 9.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 AED 9.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 AED 24.14

$4.20 ฿142

56.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.79

$1.45 ฿48.98

46.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.55 AED 101

$56.7 ฿1,912

-51.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 AED 13.26

$3.02 ฿102

19.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.07

$1.02 ฿34.33

-45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 AED 44.19

$3.69 ฿125

226.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 AED 3.58

$1.47 ฿49.76

-34.01%

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

$44.1K AED 162.1K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

64.84%

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

$21.0K AED 77.1K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-21.34%

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

$212 AED 779

$96.4 ฿3,251

120.20%

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

$48.90 AED 180

$11.26 ฿380

334.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$98.0 AED 360

$16.85 ฿568

481.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 AED 199

$67.2 ฿2,268

-19.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.44 AED 82.4

$10.73 ฿362

109.13%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 AED 50.8

$7.50 ฿253

84.27%

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

$340 AED 1,250

$476 ฿16.1K

-28.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,356 AED 30.7K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-25.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 AED 216

$62.4 ฿2,104

-5.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.4 AED 288

$28.41 ฿958

175.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 AED 396

$94.3 ฿3,181

14.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 AED 344

$85.8 ฿2,895

9.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 AED 2,996

$716 ฿24.2K

13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 AED 2,879

$491 ฿16.6K

59.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 AED 6,723

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-5.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 AED 5,795

$1,431 ฿48.3K

10.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,442 AED 27.3K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

78.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,551 AED 9,368

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-16.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,219 AED 8,149

$502 ฿16.9K

341.79%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharjah

$784 45.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 37.4% $293

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharjah

$359 20.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65.3% $235

Groceries & Markets

Sharjah

$193 11.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 38% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Sharjah

$152 8.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20% $31

Eating Out

Sharjah

$113 6.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.6% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sharjah

$82 4.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Sharjah

$42 2.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 66.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $816 in Sharjah and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sharjah pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Sharjah vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $266 per month, with Sharjah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

3 h ahead of Sharjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,400,000

79,308

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sharjah Phuket 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sharjah
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

Sharjah vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in utilities and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sharjah is about 4.4 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: $816 in Sharjah versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $340 in Sharjah versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Sharjah runs roughly 51% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,726 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.

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

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Sharjah on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.