Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sohar and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,430 in Sohar, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Sohar despite lower rent and utilities.

69

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
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Sohar Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,430

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,430 in Sohar versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sohar $1,430
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,095 in Sohar versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sohar $2,095
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,759 in Sohar versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sohar $2,759
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sohar is roughly 12% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sohar is 5% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.35 OMR 2.45

$4.47 ฿151

42.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.17 OMR 8.15

$32.41 ฿1,094

-34.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 OMR 3.53

$8.81 ฿297

4.09%

Cappuccino

$4.93 OMR 1.90

$2.83 ฿95.4

74.20%

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

$0.69 OMR 0.26

$0.87 ฿29.42

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 OMR 0.12

$0.49 ฿16.66

-38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.15 OMR 5.06

$2.56 ฿86.3

413.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.51 OMR 5.59

$3.68 ฿124

294.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 OMR 0.82

$1.66 ฿56.0

28.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 OMR 0.43

$1.46 ฿49.32

-24.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 OMR 1.26

$1.50 ฿50.5

118.00%

Eggs

$2.69 OMR 1.04

$2.09 ฿70.5

28.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.27 OMR 5.11

$19.07 ฿643

-30.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 OMR 3.49

$3.30 ฿111

174.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 OMR 5.48

$10.91 ฿368

30.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 OMR 1.24

$2.93 ฿98.9

9.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 OMR 0.85

$1.69 ฿57.0

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 OMR 0.98

$2.25 ฿75.8

13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$2.08 ฿70.1

-43.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 OMR 0.71

$1.51 ฿51.0

21.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 OMR 0.72

$1.38 ฿46.54

35.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 OMR 0.67

$1.07 ฿35.97

61.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 OMR 0.35

$0.52 ฿17.51

76.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.96 OMR 2.29

$4.20 ฿142

41.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$26.26 OMR 10.11

$18.79 ฿634

39.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.99 OMR 1.54

$1.82 ฿61.5

119.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.51 OMR 3.28

$2.84 ฿95.9

199.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 OMR 0.98

$1.45 ฿49.00

75.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.9 OMR 19.98

$56.7 ฿1,912

-8.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 OMR 1.24

$3.02 ฿102

6.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 OMR 0.62

$1.02 ฿34.34

56.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.34 OMR 3.98

$3.69 ฿125

180.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$1.47 ฿49.78

-56.46%

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

$18.3K OMR 7,060

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-31.52%

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

$20.2K OMR 7,758

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-24.50%

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

$104 OMR 39.96

$96.4 ฿3,252

7.71%

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

$29.67 OMR 11.42

$11.26 ฿380

163.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.6 OMR 33.71

$16.85 ฿569

419.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.50 OMR 19.06

$67.2 ฿2,269

-26.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.74 OMR 4.52

$7.50 ฿253

56.53%

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

$294 OMR 113

$476 ฿16.1K

-38.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,986 OMR 2,690

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-37.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 OMR 19.72

$62.4 ฿2,105

-17.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.66 OMR 16.81

$28.41 ฿959

53.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 OMR 30.86

$94.3 ฿3,182

-15.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.50 OMR 18.29

$85.8 ฿2,896

-44.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 OMR 188

$716 ฿24.2K

-31.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 OMR 147

$491 ฿16.6K

-22.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 OMR 312

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-58.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 OMR 260

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-52.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,153 OMR 444

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-72.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$767 OMR 295

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-74.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,503 OMR 964

$502 ฿17.0K

398.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

5.57

13.64%

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

Last update for Sohar: 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

Sohar

$381 26.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 29% $110

Groceries & Markets

Sohar

$346 24.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 23.1% $80

Eating Out

Sohar

$236 16.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 48.5% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sohar

$221 15.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 43.7% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Sohar

$100 7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21.7% $22

Getting Around

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 3.7% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 12.7% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $489 in Sohar and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sohar pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $21 in Sohar vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Sohar

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

17:01 5:01 PM

3 h ahead of Sohar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

221,605

79,308

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.43 OMR (1 OMR = 2.33 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sohar Phuket 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sohar
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

Sohar vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sohar is about 5 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: $489 in Sohar versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $294 in Sohar versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Sohar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Sohar 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, Sohar on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.