Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tema and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $738 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
Learn more

Tema Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$738

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $738 in Tema versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Tema $738
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,173 in Tema versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Tema $1,173
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,608 in Tema versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Tema $1,608
Phuket $2,822

Living in Tema costs roughly 38% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tema 45% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.03 GHS 82.6

$4.35 ฿146

61.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.88 GHS 328

$32.45 ฿1,087

-14.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

Cappuccino

$5.05 GHS 59.3

$2.81 ฿94.0

79.72%

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

$0.90 GHS 10.57

$0.87 ฿29.29

3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 GHS 3.55

$0.46 ฿15.39

-34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 GHS 38.67

$2.59 ฿86.6

27.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 GHS 30.66

$3.64 ฿122

-28.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.16 GHS 37.18

$1.71 ฿57.2

84.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 GHS 18.84

$1.45 ฿48.42

10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 GHS 24.34

$1.56 ฿52.3

32.69%

Eggs

$2.30 GHS 27.06

$2.10 ฿70.3

9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.38 GHS 51.4

$19.53 ฿654

-77.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 GHS 37.21

$3.40 ฿114

-6.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.38 GHS 39.73

$11.14 ฿373

-69.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 GHS 30.71

$2.83 ฿94.8

-7.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 GHS 25.06

$1.62 ฿54.3

31.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 GHS 26.01

$2.22 ฿74.5

-0.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 GHS 41.02

$2.15 ฿71.9

62.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 GHS 39.98

$1.49 ฿49.95

128.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 GHS 33.12

$1.33 ฿44.40

112.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 GHS 5.25

$1.07 ฿35.72

-57.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 GHS 7.86

$0.51 ฿17.01

31.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 GHS 14.86

$4.38 ฿147

-71.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.54 GHS 100

$18.77 ฿629

-54.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 GHS 24.63

$1.74 ฿58.3

20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 GHS 34.79

$2.78 ฿92.9

6.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 GHS 19.73

$2.17 ฿72.6

-22.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.17 GHS 484

$22.28 ฿746

84.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 GHS 24.73

$3.02 ฿101

-30.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 GHS 4.83

$1.06 ฿35.43

-61.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 GHS 13.98

$1.43 ฿47.88

-16.78%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

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

$78.2 GHS 919

$96.7 ฿3,236

-19.12%

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

$15.22 GHS 179

$11.41 ฿382

33.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.5 GHS 970

$17.11 ฿573

382.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.06 GHS 283

$52.8 ฿1,768

-54.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 GHS 103

$7.65 ฿256

15.03%

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

$174 GHS 2,050

$555 ฿18.6K

-68.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,544 GHS 29.9K

$11.3K ฿377.7K

-77.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.07 GHS 154

$63.4 ฿2,123

-79.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.40 GHS 181

$28.61 ฿958

-46.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.37 GHS 498

$96.7 ฿3,238

-56.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.20 GHS 378

$88.6 ฿2,967

-63.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$126 GHS 1,485

$735 ฿24.6K

-82.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$71.3 GHS 838

$458 ฿15.3K

-84.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 GHS 5,008

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-79.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 GHS 2,456

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-82.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,909 GHS 116.4K

$3,493 ฿116.9K

183.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,903 GHS 69.4K

$2,491 ฿83.4K

136.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 GHS 4,921

$501 ฿16.8K

-16.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

528.37%

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

Last update for Tema: October 4, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tema

$216 28.9%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 24.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tema

$176 23.6%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 28.9% $51

Eating Out

Tema

$143 * 19.2%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 16.8% $24

Accommodation & Living

Tema

$71 9.6%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 543% $387

Getting Around

Tema

$52 7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 24.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Tema

$46 6.2%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 169% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Tema

$42 5.6%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 63.5% $26

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 $126 in Tema and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 20% 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: $28.00 in Tema vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $268 per month, with Tema cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Tema

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

17:06 5:06 PM

7 h ahead of Tema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.51 USD

100 GHS = 7.59 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.75 GHS (100 GHS = 8.51 USD). 1 EUR = 13.17 GHS (100 GHS = 7.59 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tema Phuket 10,840 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Tema
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

Tema vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tema is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% 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: $126 in Tema versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $174 in Tema versus $555 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $738 in Tema versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tema but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tema the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tema 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, Tema 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 Tema gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.