Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zahlah and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $985 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
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Zahlah Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$985

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $985 in Zahlah versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Zahlah $985
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,588 in Zahlah versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Zahlah $1,588
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Zahlah versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Zahlah $2,191
Phuket $3,154

Living in Zahlah costs roughly 23% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zahlah 28% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.19 LBP 1.1M

$4.47 ฿151

172.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 LBP 6.2M

$32.41 ฿1,093

112.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 LBP 890.4K

$8.81 ฿297

12.94%

Cappuccino

$4.45 LBP 398.4K

$2.83 ฿95.4

57.24%

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

$2.29 LBP 204.9K

$0.87 ฿29.41

163.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 LBP 80.0K

$0.49 ฿16.65

81.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 LBP 459.4K

$2.56 ฿86.3

100.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 LBP 437.3K

$3.68 ฿124

32.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 LBP 173.0K

$1.66 ฿55.9

16.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 LBP 80.7K

$1.46 ฿49.31

-38.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 LBP 194.5K

$1.50 ฿50.5

44.67%

Eggs

$3.65 LBP 326.5K

$2.09 ฿70.5

74.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 LBP 996.0K

$19.07 ฿643

-41.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 LBP 930.4K

$3.30 ฿111

215.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.93 LBP 1.3M

$10.91 ฿368

36.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 LBP 272.8K

$2.93 ฿98.9

4.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 LBP 152.0K

$1.69 ฿57.0

0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 LBP 144.1K

$2.25 ฿75.8

-28.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 LBP 136.9K

$2.08 ฿70.0

-26.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 LBP 108.5K

$1.51 ฿51.0

-19.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 LBP 139.6K

$1.38 ฿46.52

13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 LBP 105.4K

$1.07 ฿35.96

10.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 LBP 61.3K

$0.52 ฿17.51

30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 LBP 271.9K

$4.20 ฿142

-27.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 LBP 972.1K

$18.79 ฿634

-42.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 LBP 113.9K

$1.82 ฿61.5

-30.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 LBP 219.9K

$2.84 ฿95.8

-13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 LBP 435.7K

$3.02 ฿102

61.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 LBP 196.9K

$1.02 ฿34.33

115.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.80 LBP 2.0M

$3.69 ฿125

517.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 LBP 94.5K

$1.47 ฿49.76

-27.89%

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

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

$26.8K ฿903.4K

99.10%

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

$33.3K LBP 3.0B

$26.7K ฿900.5K

24.65%

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

$215 LBP 19.3M

$96.4 ฿3,251

123.46%

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

$23.42 LBP 2.1M

$11.26 ฿380

107.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.29 LBP 3.4M

$16.85 ฿568

127.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 LBP 898.4K

$7.50 ฿253

33.87%

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

$691 LBP 61.8M

$476 ฿16.1K

45.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 939.0M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-6.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 LBP 5.9M

$62.4 ฿2,104

6.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.10 LBP 4.4M

$28.41 ฿958

72.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 LBP 12.5M

$94.3 ฿3,181

48.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 LBP 10.7M

$85.8 ฿2,895

39.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Zahlah: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zahlah

$277 28.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 55.1% $153

Groceries & Markets

Zahlah

$274 27.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 2.8% $7.7

Eating Out

Zahlah

$229 23.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 46.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Zahlah

$169 17.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 27.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Zahlah

$20 * 2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 310% $62

Getting Around

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 345% $55

Accommodation & Living

Zahlah

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $69 in Zahlah vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

18:54 6:54 PM

5 h ahead of Zahlah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,145

79,308

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 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 LBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zahlah Phuket 6,990 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Zahlah
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

Zahlah vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zahlah is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,477 in Zahlah 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.

Childcare runs $691 in Zahlah 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 $69 in Zahlah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $985 in Zahlah versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zahlah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zahlah 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.

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