Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahé and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,773 in Mahé, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Mahé
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Mahé Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Mahé

🇸🇨 Seychelles

$1,773

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,773 in Mahé versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Mahé $1,773
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,601 in Mahé versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Mahé $2,601
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Mahé versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Mahé $3,429
Phuket $2,845

Living in Mahé is roughly 47% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mahé is 31% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 SCR 255

$4.40 ฿147

299.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 SCR 1,546

$32.26 ฿1,078

229.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 SCR 83.2

$8.76 ฿293

-34.59%

Cappuccino

$6.59 SCR 95.7

$2.83 ฿94.5

132.86%

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

$1.65 SCR 24.00

$0.90 ฿30.14

83.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.03 SCR 189

$2.55 ฿85.2

410.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.09 SCR 132

$3.83 ฿128

137.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 SCR 22.72

$1.73 ฿57.7

-9.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 SCR 16.46

$1.47 ฿49.11

-23.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 SCR 27.04

$1.51 ฿50.6

23.18%

Eggs

$4.11 SCR 59.7

$2.17 ฿72.7

89.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.85 SCR 230

$19.70 ฿658

-19.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.18 SCR 119

$3.34 ฿112

144.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.63 SCR 183

$11.16 ฿373

13.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 SCR 30.59

$2.85 ฿95.1

-25.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 SCR 33.30

$2.19 ฿73.3

4.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.54 SCR 95.0

$2.05 ฿68.4

219.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 SCR 15.82

$1.45 ฿48.57

-24.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 SCR 15.84

$1.38 ฿46.16

-21.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 SCR 15.14

$1.07 ฿35.69

-2.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.54 SCR 211

$4.26 ฿142

241.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SCR 31.96

$2.85 ฿95.2

-22.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 SCR 10.83

$2.26 ฿75.6

-66.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.49 SCR 515

$22.10 ฿738

60.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.42 SCR 210

$3.86 ฿129

273.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 SCR 22.17

$1.45 ฿48.45

5.52%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

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

$50.0 SCR 727

$96.4 ฿3,221

-48.10%

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

$21.17 SCR 307

$11.04 ฿369

91.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$108 SCR 1,574

$17.14 ฿573

532.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 SCR 772

$52.2 ฿1,744

1.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 SCR 94.5

$7.81 ฿261

-16.77%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.20 SCR 439

$64.2 ฿2,146

-52.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.25 SCR 178

$28.69 ฿959

-57.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.21 SCR 700

$95.4 ฿3,187

-49.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.2 SCR 889

$88.0 ฿2,940

-30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 SCR 12.4K

$737 ฿24.6K

15.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 SCR 12.3K

$462 ฿15.5K

83.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,757 SCR 25.5K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-16.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 SCR 15.7K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-9.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$857 SCR 12.4K

$501 ฿16.7K

71.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Mahé: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mahé

$850 47.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 45.6% $388

Eating Out

Mahé

$327 * 18.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 62.9% $206

Groceries & Markets

Mahé

$244 * 13.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 10.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahé

$180 10.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 30.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Mahé

$68 3.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 81.9% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Mahé

$66 3.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2.5% $1.6

Getting Around

Mahé

$38 * 2.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 2.5% $1

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 $853 in Mahé and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mahé pays 71% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $106 in Mahé vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $269, with Mahé cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇨 Mahé

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

3 h ahead of Mahé

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,539

79,308

💱 Currency

Seychellois Rupee SCR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 SCR = 6.88 USD

100 SCR = 6.12 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SCR – Seychellois Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇨 Seychellois Rupee (₨)

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 14.52 SCR (100 SCR = 6.88 USD). 1 EUR = 16.33 SCR (100 SCR = 6.12 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SCR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mahé Phuket 4,960 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahé
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

Mahé vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Mahé. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Mahé, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $853 in Mahé versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Mahé pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,773 per month in Mahé versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,773 in Mahé, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Mahé. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mahé and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Mahé. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.