Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ambon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambon: $646 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Ambon
Learn more

Ambon Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ambon

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ambon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Ambon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $646 in Ambon.

Phuket $1,278
Ambon $646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,021 in Ambon.

Phuket $2,216
Ambon $1,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,397 in Ambon.

Phuket $3,154
Ambon $1,397

Living in Phuket is roughly 98% more expensive than in Ambon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ambon 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.11 Rp 20.2K

302.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$13.36 Rp 242.8K

142.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.91 Rp 71.1K

125.32%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.45 Rp 26.4K

95.17%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.45 Rp 8,183

93.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.28 Rp 5,079

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.19 Rp 39.7K

16.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.36 Rp 61.1K

9.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.02 Rp 18.5K

62.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.97 Rp 17.7K

50.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.85 Rp 15.5K

76.47%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.41 Rp 25.6K

48.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$7.05 Rp 128.1K

170.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.92 Rp 53.1K

13.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.38 Rp 134.1K

47.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

34.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

45.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.21 Rp 22.0K

24.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.90 Rp 34.5K

-27.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.87 Rp 15.8K

22.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.42 Rp 7,662

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.22 Rp 40.4K

89.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$21.08 Rp 383.1K

-10.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

-3.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.99 Rp 54.3K

-5.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.25 Rp 4,621

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$11.46 Rp 208.4K

394.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.52 Rp 9,364

480.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.37 Rp 6,767

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.78 Rp 50.5K

32.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

81.48%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$21.6K Rp 393.4M

23.71%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$34.5K Rp 626.9M

-22.62%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$71.4 Rp 1.3M

34.96%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.55 Rp 100.9K

102.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$18.61 Rp 338.3K

-9.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$18.34 Rp 333.2K

266.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$8.46 Rp 153.7K

26.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

435.71%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$100 Rp 1.8M

374.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,411 Rp 152.9M

33.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$43.94 Rp 798.7K

41.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$31.67 Rp 575.6K

-10.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

26.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

22.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$250 Rp 4.5M

186.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$165 Rp 3.0M

196.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$535 Rp 9.7M

260.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$402 Rp 7.3M

255.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,237 Rp 22.5M

237.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$712 Rp 12.9M

327.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$122 Rp 2.2M

311.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.46

-41.12%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ambon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ambon

$165 25.6% 66.3% $325

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ambon

$191 29.6% 28.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ambon

$96 14.8% 23.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ambon

$99 15.3% 18.7% $23

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ambon

$59 9.1% 51.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ambon

$21 3.3% 74.3% $61

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ambon

$15 2.3% 78.9% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $250 in Ambon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $13 in Ambon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $191 per month, with Ambon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇩 Ambon

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

275,888

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ambon 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ambon

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

Phuket vs Ambon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambon wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ambon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Phuket is about 4.1 times higher, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $250 in Ambon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $646 in Ambon – Ambon is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ambon runs roughly 80% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $646 in Ambon versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Ambon but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ambon 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Ambon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ambon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.