Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharm El Sheikh and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh: $447 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Sharm El Sheikh
Learn more

Sharm El Sheikh Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Sharm El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$447

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $447 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Sharm El Sheikh $447
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $702 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Sharm El Sheikh $702
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $957 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Sharm El Sheikh $957
Phuket $2,845

Living in Sharm El Sheikh costs roughly 63% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sharm El Sheikh 67% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.42 E£1,197

$32.26 ฿1,078

-30.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 E£241

$8.76 ฿293

-48.52%

Cappuccino

$2.24 E£120

$2.83 ฿94.5

-20.85%

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

$0.32 E£17.02

$0.90 ฿30.14

-64.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 E£28.65

$0.47 ฿15.56

14.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.74 E£200

$2.55 ฿85.2

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 E£249

$3.83 ฿128

21.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 E£43.12

$1.73 ฿57.7

-53.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.48 E£25.58

$1.51 ฿50.6

-68.21%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$2.17 ฿72.7

-45.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.81 E£203

$3.34 ฿112

14.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 E£80.4

$2.85 ฿95.1

-47.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 E£23.78

$1.70 ฿56.9

-73.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.45 E£23.90

$2.19 ฿73.3

-79.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.27 E£14.37

$2.05 ฿68.4

-86.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.11 E£113

$4.26 ฿142

-50.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 E£79.7

$1.78 ฿59.7

-16.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.08 E£4.37

$2.26 ฿75.6

-96.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£24.21

$1.45 ฿48.45

-68.97%

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

$31.2K E£1.7M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

18.57%

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

$21.2K E£1.1M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-21.16%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

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

$11.12 E£594

$11.04 ฿369

0.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.50 E£1,468

$17.14 ฿573

60.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

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

$556 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 E£18.6K

$737 ฿24.6K

-52.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 E£15.1K

$462 ฿15.5K

-39.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 E£31.8K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-71.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 E£28.7K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-55.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$931 E£49.7K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-73.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$673 E£36.0K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-73.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$149 E£7,935

$501 ฿16.7K

-70.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.5

5.57

375.76%

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

Last update for Sharm El Sheikh: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharm El Sheikh

$282 63%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64% $180

Eating Out

Sharm El Sheikh

$72 * 16.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 68.7% $49

Groceries & Markets

Sharm El Sheikh

$55 * 12.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 392% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharm El Sheikh

$39 * 8.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 223% $86

Getting Around

Sharm El Sheikh

$0.3 * 0.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 11852% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0%

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Sharm El Sheikh

- * 0%

Phuket

$124 10.3%

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 $349 in Sharm El Sheikh and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 237% 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: $22.00 in Sharm El Sheikh vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $55.0 vs $269 per month, with Sharm El Sheikh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

21:16 9:16 PM

4 h ahead of Sharm El Sheikh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,478

79,308

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sharm El Sheikh Phuket 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sharm El Sheikh
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

Sharm El Sheikh vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sharm El Sheikh is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 170% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 237% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $349 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 392% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sharm El Sheikh – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $447 in Sharm El Sheikh versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sharm El Sheikh but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sharm El Sheikh the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sharm El Sheikh 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, Sharm El Sheikh 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 Sharm El Sheikh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.