Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikpapan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $669 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
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Balikpapan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$669

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $669 in Balikpapan versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Balikpapan $669
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,057 in Balikpapan versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Balikpapan $1,057
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,444 in Balikpapan versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Balikpapan $1,444
Phuket $3,154

Living in Balikpapan costs roughly 48% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Balikpapan 51% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$4.47 ฿151

-68.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.88 Rp 197.7K

$32.41 ฿1,092

-66.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.02 Rp 54.8K

$8.81 ฿297

-65.72%

Cappuccino

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$2.83 ฿95.3

-52.65%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,320

$0.87 ฿29.37

-59.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,034

$0.49 ฿16.64

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 Rp 40.8K

$2.56 ฿86.2

-12.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 Rp 63.7K

$3.68 ฿124

-4.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$1.66 ฿55.9

-31.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 Rp 19.1K

$1.46 ฿49.25

-28.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 Rp 21.3K

$1.50 ฿50.4

-22.00%

Eggs

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

$2.09 ฿70.4

16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 Rp 129.7K

$19.07 ฿642

-62.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 Rp 54.1K

$3.30 ฿111

-9.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 Rp 156.8K

$10.91 ฿368

-20.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

$2.93 ฿98.7

-25.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 Rp 23.7K

$1.69 ฿56.9

-22.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 28.0K

$2.25 ฿75.7

-31.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$2.08 ฿70.0

-42.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

$1.51 ฿50.9

-20.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 Rp 35.5K

$1.38 ฿46.47

41.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

$1.07 ฿35.91

-21.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$0.52 ฿17.49

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.78 Rp 32.2K

$4.20 ฿142

-57.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.12 Rp 383.5K

$18.79 ฿633

12.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 Rp 32.6K

$1.82 ฿61.4

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 Rp 54.0K

$2.84 ฿95.7

4.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,151

$1.45 ฿48.93

-84.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.50 Rp 208.8K

$56.7 ฿1,909

-79.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

$3.02 ฿102

-63.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 Rp 5,189

$1.02 ฿34.29

-71.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

$3.69 ฿124

-23.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 Rp 13.7K

$1.47 ฿49.70

-48.98%

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

$23.2K Rp 420.9M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-13.46%

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

$31.4K Rp 570.2M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

17.63%

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

$64.1 Rp 1.2M

$96.4 ฿3,247

-33.45%

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

$4.19 Rp 76.1K

$11.26 ฿380

-62.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 Rp 535.4K

$16.85 ฿568

74.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.84 Rp 432.9K

$67.2 ฿2,266

-64.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.27 Rp 150.3K

$10.73 ฿361

-22.93%

Cinema Ticket

$2.82 Rp 51.3K

$7.50 ฿253

-62.40%

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

$91.6 Rp 1.7M

$476 ฿16.0K

-80.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,145 Rp 166.1M

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-18.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.81 Rp 686.7K

$62.4 ฿2,102

-39.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 Rp 338.9K

$28.41 ฿957

-34.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 Rp 2.5M

$94.3 ฿3,178

48.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 Rp 1.3M

$85.8 ฿2,892

-17.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 Rp 3.6M

$716 ฿24.1K

-72.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 Rp 2.6M

$491 ฿16.5K

-70.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 Rp 10.2M

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-70.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 Rp 6.6M

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-74.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,323 Rp 24.0M

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-68.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$777 Rp 14.1M

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-74.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 Rp 4.3M

$502 ฿16.9K

-52.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

5.57

69.84%

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

Last update for Balikpapan: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Balikpapan

$206 30.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 29.3% $60

Accommodation & Living

Balikpapan

$143 21.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 243% $348

Clothing & Footwear

Balikpapan

$120 18%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.4% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikpapan

$98 14.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 27.3% $27

Eating Out

Balikpapan

$58 8.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 112% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Balikpapan

$29 4.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 179% $53

Getting Around

Balikpapan

$15 2.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 372% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $197 in Balikpapan and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Balikpapan vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $266 per month, with Balikpapan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

12:49 12:49 PM

1 h behind Balikpapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,066

79,308

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,355 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balikpapan Phuket 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Balikpapan
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

Balikpapan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $669 in Balikpapan and $1,278 in Phuket, so Balikpapan is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Balikpapan. 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: $197 in Balikpapan versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Balikpapan runs roughly 80% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $92 in Balikpapan versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $669 in Balikpapan versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Balikpapan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Balikpapan 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.

Expats usually find Balikpapan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.