Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thika and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Thika versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Thika $518
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $883 in Thika versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Thika $883
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,248 in Thika versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Thika $1,248
Phuket $3,154

Living in Thika costs roughly 59% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Thika 62% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 KES 457

$4.47 ฿151

-21.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.12 KES 4,429

$32.41 ฿1,092

5.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.31 KES 819

$8.81 ฿297

-28.38%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KES 256

$2.83 ฿95.3

-30.39%

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

$0.32 KES 41.82

$0.87 ฿29.37

-63.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 KES 87.2

$0.49 ฿16.64

36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 KES 246

$2.56 ฿86.2

-26.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 KES 273

$3.68 ฿124

-42.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 KES 96.3

$1.66 ฿55.9

-55.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 KES 58.2

$1.46 ฿49.25

-69.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 KES 149

$1.50 ฿50.4

-23.33%

Eggs

$1.37 KES 177

$2.09 ฿70.4

-34.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.98 KES 1,426

$19.07 ฿642

-42.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 KES 877

$3.30 ฿111

104.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.01 KES 520

$10.91 ฿368

-63.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 KES 196

$2.93 ฿98.7

-48.46%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 KES 77.4

$1.69 ฿56.9

-64.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 KES 102

$2.25 ฿75.7

-65.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 KES 148

$2.08 ฿70.0

-45.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 KES 47.20

$1.51 ฿50.9

-76.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 KES 62.7

$1.38 ฿46.47

-65.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 KES 94.9

$1.07 ฿35.91

-31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 47.58

$0.52 ฿17.49

-28.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 KES 364

$4.20 ฿142

-33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 KES 743

$18.79 ฿633

-69.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 KES 229

$1.82 ฿61.4

-2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 KES 253

$2.84 ฿95.7

-31.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 KES 197

$3.02 ฿102

-49.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 KES 118

$1.02 ฿34.29

-10.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 KES 383

$3.69 ฿124

-20.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 KES 177

$1.47 ฿49.70

-7.48%

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

$19.0K KES 2.5M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-29.04%

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

$21.4K KES 2.8M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-19.66%

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

$34.61 KES 4,492

$96.4 ฿3,247

-64.08%

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

$15.36 KES 1,994

$11.26 ฿380

36.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 KES 4,475

$16.85 ฿568

104.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.97 KES 6,097

$67.2 ฿2,266

-30.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 KES 997

$7.50 ฿253

2.40%

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

$53.3 KES 6,917

$476 ฿16.0K

-88.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,489 KES 452.9K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-69.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.59 KES 3,711

$62.4 ฿2,102

-54.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.22 KES 3,793

$28.41 ฿957

2.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 KES 8,917

$94.3 ฿3,178

-27.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.35 KES 2,512

$85.8 ฿2,892

-77.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 KES 13.2K

$716 ฿24.1K

-85.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.9 KES 7,381

$491 ฿16.5K

-88.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 KES 34.8K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-86.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 KES 22.7K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-87.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$623 KES 80.9K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-85.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

5.57

164.09%

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

Last update for Thika: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thika

$154 29.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 72.6% $112

Eating Out

Thika

$88 17.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 37.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thika

$84 16.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 47.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Thika

$66 12.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 85.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Thika

$62 12%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 31.9% $20

Accommodation & Living

Thika

$57 11%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 763% $434

Getting Around

Thika

$6.1 * 1.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1065% $65

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 $101 in Thika and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34 in Thika vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $154 vs $266, with Thika cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Thika

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:12 5:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

4 h ahead of Thika

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 144 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thika Phuket 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Thika
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

Thika vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thika is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $777 in Thika and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $101 in Thika versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $53 in Thika versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $34 in Thika. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $518 in Thika versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Thika but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Thika 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.