Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bambous and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bambous: $544 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bambous, Mauritius
Phuket, Thailand
Bambous
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$544
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $544 in Bambous versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Bambous $544
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $915 in Bambous versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Bambous $915
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,286 in Bambous versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Bambous $1,286
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Bambous costs roughly 57% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bambous 60% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bambous
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.34 MUR 202
$4.47 ฿151
-2.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.18 MUR 1,779
$32.41 ฿1,093
17.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.36 MUR 203
$8.81 ฿297
-50.51%
Cappuccino
$2.13 MUR 99.4
$2.83 ฿95.4
-24.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 MUR 50.1
$0.87 ฿29.40
24.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 MUR 20.24
$0.49 ฿16.65
-12.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.63 MUR 123
$2.56 ฿86.3
2.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 MUR 75.8
$3.68 ฿124
-55.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bambous
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 MUR 53.9
$1.66 ฿55.9
-30.12%
White Bread (500g)
$0.72 MUR 33.72
$1.46 ฿49.29
-50.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.07 MUR 49.89
$1.50 ฿50.5
-28.67%
Eggs
$2.53 MUR 118
$2.09 ฿70.5
21.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.22 MUR 243
$19.07 ฿643
-72.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.27 MUR 152
$3.30 ฿111
-0.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.16 MUR 194
$10.91 ฿368
-61.87%
Apples (1kg)
$2.14 MUR 99.8
$2.93 ฿98.8
-26.96%
Banana (1kg)
$2.69 MUR 125
$1.69 ฿57.0
59.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 MUR 67.3
$2.25 ฿75.7
-36.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.01 MUR 140
$2.08 ฿70.0
44.71%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 MUR 44.61
$1.51 ฿51.0
-36.42%
Onion (1kg)
$0.94 MUR 43.93
$1.38 ฿46.51
-31.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.73 MUR 34.14
$1.07 ฿35.95
-31.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 MUR 39.11
$0.52 ฿17.50
61.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.29 MUR 293
$4.20 ฿142
49.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.40 MUR 391
$18.79 ฿634
-55.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 MUR 76.6
$1.82 ฿61.4
-9.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 MUR 112
$2.84 ฿95.8
-15.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Bambous
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.45 ฿48.97
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,911
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.15 MUR 193
$3.02 ฿102
37.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.17 MUR 148
$1.02 ฿34.32
210.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.38 MUR 996
$3.69 ฿124
479.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 MUR 64.0
$1.47 ฿49.75
-6.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.9K MUR 1.7M
$26.8K ฿903.2K
37.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.5K MUR 1.5M
$26.7K ฿900.3K
18.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bambous
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.44 MUR 2,117
$96.4 ฿3,250
-52.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.66 MUR 497
$11.26 ฿380
-5.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.69 MUR 1,336
$16.85 ฿568
70.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bambous
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$67.2 ฿2,268
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.50 MUR 303
$7.50 ฿253
-13.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bambous
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$130 MUR 6,035
$476 ฿16.1K
-72.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,619 MUR 354.9K
$11.3K ฿379.9K
-32.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bambous
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.0 MUR 3,589
$62.4 ฿2,103
23.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$73.9 MUR 3,441
$28.41 ฿958
159.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$122 MUR 5,671
$94.3 ฿3,180
29.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.0 MUR 3,633
$85.8 ฿2,894
-9.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bambous
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$716 ฿24.1K
-
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 ฿140.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bambous
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$502 ฿16.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.67
5.57
19.75%

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

Last update for Bambous: 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
Bambous
$173
Phuket
$266 53.9% $93
Clothing & Footwear
Bambous
$158
Phuket
$122 22.8% $36
Eating Out
Bambous
$96
Phuket
$122 27% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bambous
$85
Phuket
$124 46.8% $40
Getting Around
Bambous
$20 *
Phuket
$71 253% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Bambous
$13 *
Phuket
$82 532% $69
Accommodation & Living
Bambous
- *
Phuket
$491

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38 in Bambous vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $173 vs $266, with Bambous cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇺 Bambous
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
22:15 10:15 PM
01:15 1:15 AM
3 h ahead of Bambous
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
15,300
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 51.98 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bambous Phuket 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bambous
  • 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
Bambous vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Bambous and in Phuket?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $544 in Bambous and $1,278 in Phuket, so Bambous is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Bambous compared to Phuket?
You’d need roughly $817 in Bambous 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.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Bambous and Phuket?
Childcare runs $130 in Bambous versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $38 in Bambous. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $544 in Bambous versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bambous but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bambous the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Bambous and Phuket?
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.

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