Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grand Bay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Grand Bay: $1,176 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Grand Bay, Mauritius
Phuket, Thailand
Grand Bay
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$1,176
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,176 in Grand Bay versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Grand Bay $1,176
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,245 in Grand Bay versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Grand Bay $2,245
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,314 in Grand Bay versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Grand Bay $3,314
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Grand Bay costs roughly 8% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Grand Bay 14% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Grand Bay
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.90 MUR 278
$4.47 ฿151
31.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.7 MUR 3,048
$32.41 ฿1,093
99.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.30 MUR 344
$8.81 ฿297
-17.14%
Cappuccino
$2.59 MUR 122
$2.83 ฿95.4
-8.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 MUR 53.2
$0.87 ฿29.41
29.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 MUR 31.36
$0.49 ฿16.65
36.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.73 MUR 129
$2.56 ฿86.3
6.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.77 MUR 225
$3.68 ฿124
29.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Grand Bay
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 MUR 67.2
$1.66 ฿55.9
-13.86%
White Bread (500g)
$0.74 MUR 34.98
$1.46 ฿49.31
-49.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 MUR 54.5
$1.50 ฿50.5
-22.67%
Eggs
$2.31 MUR 109
$2.09 ฿70.5
10.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.96 MUR 988
$19.07 ฿643
9.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.27 MUR 296
$3.30 ฿111
90.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.74 MUR 1,025
$10.91 ฿368
99.27%
Apples (1kg)
$1.89 MUR 89.2
$2.93 ฿98.9
-35.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 MUR 92.8
$1.69 ฿57.0
16.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 MUR 66.1
$2.25 ฿75.8
-37.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.86 MUR 135
$2.08 ฿70.0
37.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.00 MUR 47.22
$1.51 ฿51.0
-33.77%
Onion (1kg)
$0.96 MUR 45.36
$1.38 ฿46.52
-30.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 MUR 32.51
$1.07 ฿35.96
-35.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 MUR 24.97
$0.52 ฿17.51
1.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.41 MUR 302
$4.20 ฿142
52.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.65 MUR 408
$18.79 ฿634
-53.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 MUR 77.1
$1.82 ฿61.5
-9.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 MUR 93.2
$2.84 ฿95.8
-30.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Grand Bay
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.05 MUR 49.38
$1.45 ฿48.98
-27.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.28 MUR 202
$3.02 ฿102
41.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.45 MUR 115
$1.02 ฿34.33
140.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.15 MUR 997
$3.69 ฿125
473.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 MUR 63.9
$1.47 ฿49.76
-7.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.9K MUR 1.6M
$26.8K ฿903.4K
30.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.6K MUR 1.8M
$26.7K ฿900.5K
41.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Grand Bay
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$45.94 MUR 2,165
$96.4 ฿3,251
-52.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.52 MUR 731
$11.26 ฿380
37.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.26 MUR 1,379
$16.85 ฿568
73.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Grand Bay
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$59.3 MUR 2,794
$67.2 ฿2,268
-11.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MUR 302
$7.50 ฿253
-14.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Grand Bay
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$126 MUR 5,934
$476 ฿16.1K
-73.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,744 MUR 365.0K
$11.3K ฿380.0K
-31.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Grand Bay
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.8 MUR 2,866
$62.4 ฿2,104
-2.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.0 MUR 3,016
$28.41 ฿958
125.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 MUR 4,992
$94.3 ฿3,181
12.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.7 MUR 4,181
$85.8 ฿2,895
3.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Grand Bay
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$596 MUR 28.1K
$716 ฿24.2K
-16.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$439 MUR 20.7K
$491 ฿16.6K
-10.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,038 MUR 96.0K
$1,927 ฿65.0K
5.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,459 MUR 68.7K
$1,431 ฿48.3K
1.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Grand Bay
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,281 MUR 60.4K
$502 ฿16.9K
155.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6
5.57
7.72%

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

Last update for Grand Bay: 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
Grand Bay
$439
Phuket
$491 11.9% $52
Groceries & Markets
Grand Bay
$280
Phuket
$266 4.8% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Grand Bay
$144
Phuket
$122 15.2% $22
Eating Out
Grand Bay
$131
Phuket
$122 6.8% $8.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Grand Bay
$91
Phuket
$124 37.2% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Grand Bay
$72
Phuket
$82 14.1% $10
Getting Around
Grand Bay
$21 *
Phuket
$71 241% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $596 in Grand Bay and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grand Bay pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65 in Grand Bay vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇺 Grand Bay
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
22:23 10:23 PM
01:23 1:23 AM
3 h ahead of Grand Bay
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
11,900
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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 47.13 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.62 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Grand Bay Phuket 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Grand Bay
  • 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
Grand Bay vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grand Bay cheaper than Phuket?
Grand Bay is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Grand Bay or Phuket?
Average pay in Grand Bay is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Grand Bay and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $596 in Grand Bay versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $126 in Grand Bay versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Grand Bay or in Phuket?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $65 in Grand Bay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 enough for either Grand Bay or Phuket?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Grand Bay gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Grand Bay or in 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.
Which city is safer, Grand Bay or Phuket?
Safety-wise, Grand Bay and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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