Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Padang and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Padang: $620 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Padang
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Padang Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Padang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$620

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $620 in Padang versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Padang $620
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $980 in Padang versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Padang $980
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,339 in Padang versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Padang $1,339
Phuket $3,154

Living in Padang costs roughly 51% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Padang 54% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.61 Rp 29.3K

$4.47 ฿151

-63.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.36 Rp 224.6K

$32.41 ฿1,094

-61.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.79 Rp 68.8K

$8.81 ฿297

-56.98%

Cappuccino

$1.63 Rp 29.6K

$2.83 ฿95.5

-42.40%

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

$0.41 Rp 7,363

$0.87 ฿29.43

-52.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 Rp 3,693

$0.49 ฿16.67

-59.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

$2.56 ฿86.4

-12.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 Rp 70.6K

$3.68 ฿124

5.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 Rp 21.2K

$1.66 ฿56.0

-29.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 Rp 18.1K

$1.46 ฿49.35

-32.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

$1.50 ฿50.6

-36.67%

Eggs

$1.41 Rp 25.7K

$2.09 ฿70.5

-32.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.18 Rp 112.3K

$19.07 ฿644

-67.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.56 Rp 46.6K

$3.30 ฿111

-22.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.54 Rp 137.1K

$10.91 ฿368

-30.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 Rp 44.7K

$2.93 ฿99.0

-16.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

$1.69 ฿57.1

-19.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 Rp 28.3K

$2.25 ฿75.8

-30.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

$2.08 ฿70.1

-39.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 Rp 19.3K

$1.51 ฿51.0

-29.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 Rp 33.2K

$1.38 ฿46.56

32.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

$1.07 ฿35.99

-14.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,145

$0.52 ฿17.52

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 Rp 49.0K

$4.20 ฿142

-35.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.73 Rp 431.2K

$18.79 ฿634

26.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 Rp 31.8K

$1.82 ฿61.5

-3.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 Rp 59.7K

$2.84 ฿95.9

15.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 Rp 4,151

$1.45 ฿49.03

-84.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.75 Rp 231.8K

$56.7 ฿1,913

-77.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 8,045

$3.02 ฿102

-85.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 Rp 5,597

$1.02 ฿34.36

-69.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 Rp 47.7K

$3.69 ฿125

-29.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.47 ฿49.81

-43.54%

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

$20.7K Rp 375.8M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-22.78%

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

$34.5K Rp 626.5M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

29.15%

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

$67.5 Rp 1.2M

$96.4 ฿3,254

-29.93%

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

$4.09 Rp 74.3K

$11.26 ฿380

-63.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.33 Rp 351.3K

$16.85 ฿569

14.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.17 Rp 330.3K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-72.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 Rp 156.4K

$10.73 ฿362

-19.85%

Cinema Ticket

$2.54 Rp 46.1K

$7.50 ฿253

-66.13%

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

$80.6 Rp 1.5M

$476 ฿16.1K

-83.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,817 Rp 160.2M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-21.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.70 Rp 794.2K

$62.4 ฿2,106

-29.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.16 Rp 548.2K

$28.41 ฿959

6.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 Rp 1.4M

$94.3 ฿3,184

-17.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.8 Rp 1.2M

$85.8 ฿2,898

-19.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 Rp 4.4M

$716 ฿24.2K

-66.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 Rp 2.4M

$491 ฿16.6K

-73.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 Rp 8.8M

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-74.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 Rp 6.0M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-77.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,203 Rp 21.9M

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-71.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$686 Rp 12.5M

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-77.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$502 ฿17.0K

-67.34%

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 Padang: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Padang

$196 31.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 35.9% $70

Accommodation & Living

Padang

$130 21%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 277% $361

Clothing & Footwear

Padang

$99 16%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 23.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Padang

$91 14.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 36.9% $34

Eating Out

Padang

$65 10.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 86.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Padang

$23 3.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 254% $59

Getting Around

Padang

$16 2.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 351% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $241 in Padang and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $12 in Padang vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $266 per month, with Padang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Padang

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

Same time as Padang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,096

79,308

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Padang Phuket 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Padang
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

Padang vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Padang wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Padang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Padang. 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: $241 in Padang versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Padang runs roughly 77% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $81 in Padang versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $620 in Padang versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Padang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Padang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Padang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.