Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makassar and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Makassar: $632 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Makassar
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Makassar Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Makassar

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$632

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $632 in Makassar versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Makassar $632
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $977 in Makassar versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Makassar $977
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,322 in Makassar versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Makassar $1,322
Phuket $2,845

Living in Makassar costs roughly 48% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Makassar 53% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.62 Rp 29.1K

$4.40 ฿147

-63.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.67 Rp 156.1K

$32.26 ฿1,078

-73.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

$8.76 ฿293

-63.13%

Cappuccino

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

$2.83 ฿94.5

-32.16%

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

$0.47 Rp 8,457

$0.90 ฿30.14

-47.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 Rp 6,013

$0.47 ฿15.56

-29.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 Rp 44.1K

$2.55 ฿85.2

-3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 Rp 56.4K

$3.83 ฿128

-18.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 Rp 27.6K

$1.73 ฿57.7

-11.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 Rp 17.5K

$1.47 ฿49.11

-34.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.57 Rp 10.3K

$1.51 ฿50.6

-62.25%

Eggs

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

$2.17 ฿72.7

-29.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 Rp 115.5K

$19.70 ฿658

-67.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 Rp 61.6K

$3.34 ฿112

2.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.23 Rp 94.2K

$11.16 ฿373

-53.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 Rp 44.1K

$2.85 ฿95.1

-14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 Rp 23.6K

$1.70 ฿56.9

-22.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

$2.19 ฿73.3

-10.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.6K

$2.05 ฿68.4

-38.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

$1.45 ฿48.57

-11.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 Rp 26.6K

$1.38 ฿46.16

7.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

$1.07 ฿35.69

-30.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 6,988

$0.51 ฿16.91

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 Rp 46.9K

$4.26 ฿142

-38.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.14 Rp 398.6K

$18.58 ฿621

19.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 Rp 32.7K

$1.78 ฿59.7

2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

$2.85 ฿95.2

0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,851

$2.26 ฿75.6

-88.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.18 Rp 75.2K

$22.10 ฿738

-81.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,925

$3.01 ฿101

-83.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 Rp 6,710

$1.06 ฿35.34

-65.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 Rp 48.0K

$3.86 ฿129

-30.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 Rp 14.3K

$1.45 ฿48.45

-44.83%

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

$23.8K Rp 428.5M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-9.58%

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

$31.9K Rp 574.3M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

18.42%

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

$90.3 Rp 1.6M

$96.4 ฿3,221

-6.36%

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

$2.61 Rp 46.9K

$11.04 ฿369

-76.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.29 Rp 455.3K

$17.14 ฿573

47.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.58 Rp 388.5K

$52.2 ฿1,744

-58.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.40 Rp 151.1K

$11.16 ฿373

-24.73%

Cinema Ticket

$3.36 Rp 60.5K

$7.81 ฿261

-56.98%

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

$94.2 Rp 1.7M

$556 ฿18.6K

-83.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,803 Rp 68.5M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-67.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.97 Rp 485.5K

$64.2 ฿2,146

-57.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.43 Rp 421.7K

$28.69 ฿959

-18.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

$95.4 ฿3,187

-21.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.92 Rp 718.5K

$88.0 ฿2,940

-54.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 Rp 4.0M

$737 ฿24.6K

-69.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 Rp 2.6M

$462 ฿15.5K

-69.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 Rp 9.5M

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-74.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 Rp 6.6M

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-69.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,151 Rp 20.7M

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-67.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$794 Rp 14.3M

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-68.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$214 Rp 3.8M

$501 ฿16.7K

-57.35%

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 Makassar: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Makassar

$193 30.6%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 39% $75

Accommodation & Living

Makassar

$143 22.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 224% $320

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makassar

$118 18.7%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 5.4% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Makassar

$74 11.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 67.1% $50

Eating Out

Makassar

$67 10.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 79.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Makassar

$28 4.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 140% $39

Getting Around

Makassar

$7.6 1.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 418% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $224 in Makassar and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 134% 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: $9.00 in Makassar vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $269 per month, with Makassar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Makassar

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

17:49 5:49 PM

1 h behind Makassar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,427,619

79,308

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Makassar Phuket 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Makassar
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

Makassar vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makassar wins on cost – living expenses run 91% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makassar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 134% lower in Phuket. 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: $224 in Makassar versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Makassar runs roughly 429% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $94.2 in Makassar versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $632 in Makassar versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Makassar but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Makassar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Makassar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $632 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Makassar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Makassar 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 Makassar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.