Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Balti Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Balti

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 49.3% more expensive than Balti without rent, and 23.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 19.7% more expensive than Balti without rent, and 119.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Balti
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.68 ฿151
$8.06 MDL 136
-41.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.4 ฿1,502
$36.61 MDL 620
26.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.65 ฿280
$7.44 MDL 126
16.26%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ฿100
$1.66 MDL 28.04
86.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ฿23.53
$1 MDL 16.86
-27.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ฿11.95
$0.68 MDL 11.53
-45.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 ฿77.4
$1.8 MDL 30.48
32.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 ฿117
$2.24 MDL 37.92
61.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Balti
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 ฿72.5
$1.27 MDL 21.58
76.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.8 ฿58.2
$0.4 MDL 6.77
350.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 ฿72.3
$1.45 MDL 24.53
54.48%
Eggs
$2.23 ฿72.1
$1.64 MDL 27.75
35.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.31 ฿625
$9.53 MDL 161
102.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.77 ฿122
$4.45 MDL 75.4
-15.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.05 ฿422
$8.62 MDL 146
51.39%
Apples (1kg)
$3.28 ฿106
$0.86 MDL 14.5
281.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 ฿52.6
$1.84 MDL 31.21
-11.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.4 ฿77.7
$1.47 MDL 24.89
63.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ฿64.3
$2.17 MDL 36.75
-8.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿49.62
$0.73 MDL 12.38
109.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 ฿48.11
$0.59 MDL 10.04
152.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ฿32.87
$1.37 MDL 23.13
-25.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿15.61
$0.88 MDL 14.89
-45.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 ฿140
$3.14 MDL 53.2
37.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.68 ฿702
$4.68 MDL 79.2
363.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿57.3
$1.28 MDL 21.59
38.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿90.4
$1.96 MDL 33.24
42.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Balti
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 ฿43.74
$0.36 MDL 6.14
275.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ฿380
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 ฿102
$2 MDL 33.87
57.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1 ฿32.3
$0.25 MDL 4.2
300.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.64 ฿442
$5.23 MDL 88.6
160.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 ฿42.2
$1.32 MDL 22.33
-1.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ฿885.2K
$32.3K MDL 546.6K
-15.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K ฿1.1M
$30.9K MDL 522.7K
9.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Balti
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 ฿3,970
$170 MDL 2,884
-27.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿451
$4.61 MDL 78
202.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.24 ฿590
$10.34 MDL 175
76.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Balti
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.8 ฿1,966
$40.68 MDL 689
49.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.11 ฿554
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.07 ฿294
$4.74 MDL 80.2
91.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Balti
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$694 ฿22.5K
$118 MDL 1,993
489.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ฿514.4K
$5,490 MDL 92.9K
189.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Balti
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 ฿1,861
$66.7 MDL 1,129
-13.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.51 ฿1,117
$54.7 MDL 927
-36.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 ฿3,727
$112 MDL 1,888
3.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,743
$124 MDL 2,095
-31.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Balti
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ฿19.8K
$405 MDL 6,859
50.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$442 ฿14.3K
$294 MDL 4,975
50.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 ฿65.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,460 ฿47.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,244 ฿137.3K
$913 MDL 15.5K
364.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,886 ฿93.4K
$991 MDL 16.8K
191.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Balti
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$697 ฿22.5K
$477 MDL 8,083
45.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
9.24
-42.32%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

Last update for Balti: October 29, 2025

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