Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yanbu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Yanbu: $1,021 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in Yanbu
Learn more

Yanbu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Yanbu

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,021 in Yanbu versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Yanbu $1,021
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,620 in Yanbu versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Yanbu $1,620
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,220 in Yanbu versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Yanbu $2,220
Phuket $3,154

Living in Yanbu costs roughly 20% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yanbu 25% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.99 SAR 22.48

$4.47 ฿151

34.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.12 SAR 143

$32.41 ฿1,093

17.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.67 SAR 25.02

$8.81 ฿297

-24.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

Cappuccino

$3.90 SAR 14.65

$2.83 ฿95.4

37.81%

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

$0.82 SAR 3.07

$0.87 ฿29.41

-5.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 SAR 0.68

$0.49 ฿16.65

-63.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SAR 6.40

$1.66 ฿55.9

3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 SAR 3.52

$1.46 ฿49.31

-35.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

$1.50 ฿50.5

46.67%

Eggs

$2.53 SAR 9.48

$2.09 ฿70.5

21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.33 SAR 23.76

$19.07 ฿643

-66.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 SAR 31.64

$3.30 ฿111

155.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.00 SAR 48.78

$10.91 ฿368

19.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 SAR 7.97

$2.93 ฿98.9

-27.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.41

$1.69 ฿57.0

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 SAR 5.46

$2.25 ฿75.8

-35.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.06

$2.08 ฿70.0

-22.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.39

$1.51 ฿51.0

-22.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.38 ฿46.52

-24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 SAR 4.13

$1.07 ฿35.96

2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.03

$0.52 ฿17.51

3.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.10

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.48 SAR 24.32

$4.20 ฿142

54.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 SAR 3.97

$1.45 ฿48.98

-26.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.43 SAR 140

$56.7 ฿1,912

-33.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 SAR 11.82

$3.02 ฿102

4.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 SAR 2.94

$1.02 ฿34.33

-23.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.66 SAR 51.3

$3.69 ฿125

270.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.62 SAR 2.32

$1.47 ฿49.76

-57.82%

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

$37.9K SAR 142.3K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

41.66%

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

$22.0K SAR 82.5K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-17.63%

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

$91.4 SAR 343

$96.4 ฿3,251

-5.10%

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

$22.38 SAR 84.0

$11.26 ฿380

98.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.0 SAR 251

$16.85 ฿568

297.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.6 SAR 359

$67.2 ฿2,268

42.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.53 SAR 99.6

$10.73 ฿362

147.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 SAR 44.21

$7.50 ฿253

57.07%

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

$263 SAR 987

$476 ฿16.1K

-44.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,844 SAR 14.4K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-65.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.3 SAR 279

$62.4 ฿2,104

19.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 SAR 217

$28.41 ฿958

103.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 SAR 372

$94.3 ฿3,181

5.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 SAR 351

$85.8 ฿2,895

8.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$315 SAR 1,181

$716 ฿24.2K

-56.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 SAR 790

$491 ฿16.6K

-57.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 SAR 2,288

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-68.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 SAR 1,552

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-71.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,702 SAR 6,386

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-59.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,237 SAR 4,644

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-59.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,411 SAR 12.8K

$502 ฿16.9K

579.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.57

-3.23%

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

Last update for Yanbu: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yanbu

$210 20.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 133% $280

Groceries & Markets

Yanbu

$197 19.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 35.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yanbu

$181 17.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 31.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Yanbu

$146 14.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Yanbu

$119 11.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 31% $37

Eating Out

Yanbu

$119 11.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 2.5% $2.9

Getting Around

Yanbu

$49 4.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 44.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $315 in Yanbu and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yanbu pays about 6.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Yanbu vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $266, with Yanbu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Yanbu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

4 h ahead of Yanbu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

233,236

79,308

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yanbu Phuket 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Yanbu
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

Yanbu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yanbu is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Yanbu is about 6.8 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: $315 in Yanbu versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $263 in Yanbu 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 35% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Yanbu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Yanbu and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.