Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taif and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Taif and in Phuket: $1,255 and $1,208 a month, rent and utilities included.

60

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,255

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,255 in Taif versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Taif $1,255
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,844 in Taif versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Taif $1,844
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,434 in Taif versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Taif $2,434
Phuket $2,845

Living in Taif is roughly 4% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Taif 7% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 SAR 20.09

$4.40 ฿147

21.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.34 SAR 144

$32.26 ฿1,078

18.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 SAR 27.76

$8.76 ฿293

-15.53%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SAR 8.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

Cappuccino

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$2.83 ฿94.5

-23.67%

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

$0.69 SAR 2.60

$0.90 ฿30.14

-23.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 SAR 0.84

$0.47 ฿15.56

-53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

$1.73 ฿57.7

2.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.26 SAR 0.97

$1.47 ฿49.11

-82.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.69

$1.51 ฿50.6

53.64%

Eggs

$2.60 SAR 9.75

$2.17 ฿72.7

19.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.02 SAR 22.60

$19.70 ฿658

-69.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 SAR 25.35

$3.34 ฿112

102.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 SAR 34.45

$11.16 ฿373

-17.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.71

$2.85 ฿95.1

-18.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 SAR 6.72

$1.70 ฿56.9

5.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 SAR 7.07

$2.19 ฿73.3

-13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 SAR 6.93

$2.05 ฿68.4

-9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$1.45 ฿48.57

-11.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.62

$1.38 ฿46.16

8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 SAR 3.44

$1.07 ฿35.69

-14.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 SAR 3.10

$0.51 ฿16.91

62.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.97 SAR 11.14

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 SAR 5.43

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 SAR 7.57

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 SAR 24.72

$4.26 ฿142

54.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$2.26 ฿75.6

-53.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.81 SAR 138

$22.10 ฿738

66.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$3.01 ฿101

-56.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 SAR 7.60

$1.06 ฿35.34

91.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.34 SAR 35.06

$3.86 ฿129

141.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.23

$1.45 ฿48.45

-58.62%

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

$26.1K SAR 97.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-1.03%

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

$22.0K SAR 82.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-18.41%

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

$142 SAR 531

$96.4 ฿3,221

46.90%

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

$27.78 SAR 104

$11.04 ฿369

151.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 SAR 258

$17.14 ฿573

300.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$146 SAR 550

$52.2 ฿1,744

180.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.36 SAR 50.1

$11.16 ฿373

19.71%

Cinema Ticket

$20.00 SAR 75.1

$7.81 ฿261

156.08%

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

$183 SAR 688

$556 ฿18.6K

-67.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,266 SAR 12.3K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-71.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.45 SAR 159

$64.2 ฿2,146

-33.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 SAR 214

$28.69 ฿959

98.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 SAR 360

$95.4 ฿3,187

0.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 SAR 329

$88.0 ฿2,940

-0.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 SAR 2,166

$737 ฿24.6K

-21.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 SAR 1,415

$462 ฿15.5K

-18.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,127

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-60.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$571 SAR 2,144

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-52.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,370 SAR 8,893

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-32.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,346 SAR 5,050

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-46.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,574 SAR 5,906

$501 ฿16.7K

214.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.57

-0.54%

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

Last update for Taif: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taif

$377 30.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 22.6% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taif

$238 19%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 47.7% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Taif

$186 14.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 63.6% $119

Groceries & Markets

Taif

$179 14.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 50.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Taif

$127 10.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 2.4% $3

Eating Out

Taif

$95 7.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 28.1% $27

Getting Around

Taif

$52 4.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 24.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Taif and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taif pays 214% 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: $38.00 in Taif vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $179 vs $269, with Taif cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Taif

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

4 h ahead of Taif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,970

79,308

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 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 SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taif Phuket 6,380 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Taif
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

Taif vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, clothing, and utilities. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 214% higher in Taif, 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: $577 in Taif versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $183 in Taif versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Taif pay roughly 50% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,255 in Taif, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Taif. 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 Taif, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Taif 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 4% less than in Taif. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.