Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Phuket

🙂 Solo nomad: Medan is 40.5% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 49% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Medan is 33.3% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 59.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medan
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.86 Rp 31.4K
$4.65 ฿147
-60.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.71 Rp 180.9K
$46.11 ฿1,460
-76.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.17 Rp 53.6K
$8.74 ฿277
-63.73%
Cappuccino
$1.80 Rp 30.4K
$3.04 ฿96.2
-40.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 Rp 6,677
$0.72 ฿22.80
-44.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 Rp 4,597
$0.39 ฿12.38
-30.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 Rp 25.4K
$2.44 ฿77.2
-38.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.37 Rp 90.7K
$3.79 ฿120
41.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medan
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 Rp 20.1K
$2.14 ฿67.9
-44.39%
White Bread (500g)
$1.17 Rp 19.8K
$1.86 ฿58.9
-37.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.87 Rp 14.7K
$2.19 ฿69.2
-60.27%
Eggs
$1.50 Rp 25.4K
$2.25 ฿71.1
-33.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.36 Rp 158.1K
$19.73 ฿625
-52.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.91 Rp 66.1K
$3.79 ฿120
3.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.83 Rp 115.3K
$13.55 ฿429
-49.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.28 Rp 38.6K
$3.25 ฿103
-29.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 Rp 17.0K
$1.67 ฿52.9
-39.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 Rp 24.6K
$2.39 ฿75.7
-38.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.93 Rp 15.7K
$2.09 ฿66.2
-55.50%
Potato (1kg)
$0.73 Rp 12.4K
$1.53 ฿48.39
-52.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 Rp 21.2K
$1.51 ฿47.79
-16.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 Rp 7,258
$0.99 ฿31.30
-56.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.47 Rp 7,905
$0.51 ฿16.30
-7.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.41 Rp 40.7K
$4.27 ฿135
-43.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.79 Rp 283.5K
$20.31 ฿643
-17.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 Rp 22.5K
$1.79 ฿56.7
-25.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.22 Rp 54.3K
$2.77 ฿87.6
16.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Medan
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 Rp 4,986
$1.40 ฿44.44
-78.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.11 Rp 170.7K
$11.70 ฿370
-13.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.53 Rp 8,924
$3.11 ฿98.4
-82.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.20 Rp 3,372
$0.99 ฿31.48
-79.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.01 Rp 101.5K
$13.73 ฿435
-56.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.87 Rp 14.7K
$1.32 ฿41.75
-34.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.7K Rp 467.8M
$27.2K ฿862.0K
1.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K Rp 580.5M
$34.1K ฿1.1M
0.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medan
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.2 Rp 1.4M
$120 ฿3,811
-31.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.53 Rp 59.6K
$13.93 ฿441
-74.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.29 Rp 562.2K
$18.31 ฿579
81.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medan
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$23.70 Rp 400.2K
$60.9 ฿1,928
-61.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.15 Rp 120.7K
$17.23 ฿545
-58.50%
Cinema Ticket
$3.44 Rp 58.1K
$8.71 ฿276
-60.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medan
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$126 Rp 2.1M
$698 ฿22.1K
-81.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K Rp 180.1M
$15.7K ฿498.0K
-32.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medan
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.7 Rp 1.1M
$57.6 ฿1,824
15.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.45 Rp 716.8K
$34.24 ฿1,084
23.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 Rp 2.0M
$113 ฿3,582
4.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$64.3 Rp 1.1M
$84.8 ฿2,684
-24.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medan
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$195 Rp 3.3M
$604 ฿19.1K
-67.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$99.1 Rp 1.7M
$436 ฿13.8K
-77.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$529 Rp 8.9M
$2,057 ฿65.1K
-74.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$229 Rp 3.9M
$1,498 ฿47.4K
-84.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,233 Rp 20.8M
$4,252 ฿134.6K
-71.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$599 Rp 10.1M
$2,988 ฿94.6K
-79.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medan
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$233 Rp 3.9M
$529 ฿16.7K
-56.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.25
5.33
73.55%

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

Last update for Medan: March 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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