Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dili and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,574 in Dili, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dili outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Dili
Learn more

Dili Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,574

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Dili vs $1,190 in Phuket, rent included.

Dili $1,574
Phuket $1,190

A couple spends around $2,466 per month in Dili vs $2,006 in Phuket, rent included.

Dili $2,466
Phuket $2,006

A family of three spends $3,359 per month in Dili vs $2,822 in Phuket, rent included.

Dili $3,359
Phuket $2,822

Dili costs about 32% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dili sits 17% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 $5.13

$4.35 ฿146

17.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.43 $42.43

$32.45 ฿1,087

30.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 $7.91

$8.42 ฿282

-6.06%

Cappuccino

$4.18 $4.18

$2.81 ฿94.0

48.75%

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

$1.63 $1.63

$0.87 ฿29.29

87.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$0.46 ฿15.39

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.59 ฿86.6

-0.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.64 ฿122

22.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.71 ฿57.2

38.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.45 ฿48.42

73.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.56 ฿52.3

-38.46%

Eggs

$2.68 $2.68

$2.10 ฿70.3

27.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$19.53 ฿654

-89.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$3.40 ฿114

176.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$11.14 ฿373

41.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.83 ฿94.8

16.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.62 ฿54.3

14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.22 ฿74.5

12.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.15 ฿71.9

5.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.49 ฿49.95

-16.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.33 ฿44.40

-13.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.07 ฿35.72

-20.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.51 ฿17.01

92.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 $3.08

$4.38 ฿147

-29.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 $11.95

$18.77 ฿629

-36.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.74 ฿58.3

25.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.78 ฿92.9

3.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$2.17 ฿72.6

-88.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.78 $29.78

$22.28 ฿746

33.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.02 ฿101

16.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.06 ฿35.43

237.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.75 $19.75

$3.71 ฿124

432.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.43 ฿47.88

0.70%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

-31.75%

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

$16.7K $16.7K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

-36.18%

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

$152 $152

$96.7 ฿3,236

56.99%

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

$27.49 $27.49

$11.41 ฿382

140.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.46 $49.46

$52.8 ฿1,768

-6.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 $6.17

$7.65 ฿256

-19.35%

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

$1,477 $1,477

$555 ฿18.6K

166.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$11.3K ฿377.7K

42.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$63.4 ฿2,123

-3.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.46 $30.46

$28.61 ฿958

6.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$96.7 ฿3,238

-18.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 $60.3

$88.6 ฿2,967

-31.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$735 ฿24.6K

13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 $759

$458 ฿15.3K

65.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,739 $2,739

$2,102 ฿70.4K

30.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 $1,504

$1,187 ฿39.7K

26.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,656 $3,656

$501 ฿16.8K

629.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

5.57

-3.59%

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

Last update for Dili: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dili

$759 47.9%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 39.7% $301

Groceries & Markets

Dili

$275 17.3%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 2.4% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dili

$179 * 11.3%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 30.2% $54

Eating Out

Dili

$154 9.7%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 22.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Dili

$104 6.6%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 20.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Dili

$62 3.9%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 10.2% $6.3

Getting Around

Dili

$52 3.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 24.7% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $831 in Dili versus $735 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 630% higher in Dili, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Dili

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

2 h behind Dili

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,323 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dili Phuket 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dili
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

Dili vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dili is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,361 per month in Dili and $1,785 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,574 in Dili and $1,190 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 32%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Dili at $1,574. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dili it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dili makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.