Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bambous

For one person, living is cheaper in Bambous: $544 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Bambous
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Bambous Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bambous

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bambous

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 Bambous actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $544 in Bambous.

Phuket $1,278
Bambous $544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $915 in Bambous.

Phuket $2,216
Bambous $915

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,286 in Bambous.

Phuket $3,154
Bambous $1,286

Living in Phuket is roughly 135% more expensive than in Bambous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Bambous 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.34 MUR 202

3.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$38.18 MUR 1,779

-15.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.36 MUR 203

102.06%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.13 MUR 99.4

32.86%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.08 MUR 50.1

-19.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.43 MUR 20.24

13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.63 MUR 123

-2.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.63 MUR 75.8

125.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.16 MUR 53.9

43.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.72 MUR 33.72

102.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.07 MUR 49.89

40.19%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.53 MUR 118

-17.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.22 MUR 243

265.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.27 MUR 152

0.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.16 MUR 194

162.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.14 MUR 99.8

36.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.69 MUR 125

-37.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.44 MUR 67.3

56.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.01 MUR 140

-30.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.96 MUR 44.61

57.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$0.94 MUR 43.93

46.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.73 MUR 34.14

46.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.84 MUR 39.11

-38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.29 MUR 293

-33.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.40 MUR 391

123.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.64 MUR 76.6

10.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.40 MUR 112

18.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.15 MUR 193

-27.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$3.17 MUR 148

-67.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$21.38 MUR 996

-82.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.37 MUR 64.0

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$36.9K MUR 1.7M

-27.50%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$31.5K MUR 1.5M

-15.39%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$45.44 MUR 2,117

112.04%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.66 MUR 497

5.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$28.69 MUR 1,336

-41.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.50 MUR 303

15.38%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$130 MUR 6,035

267.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$7,619 MUR 354.9K

47.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$77.0 MUR 3,589

-19.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$73.9 MUR 3,441

-61.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$122 MUR 5,671

-22.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$78.0 MUR 3,633

10.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bambous: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bambous

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bambous

$173 31.8% 35% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bambous

$85 15.6% 31.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bambous

$158 29% 29.5% $36

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bambous

$96 17.6% 21.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bambous

$13 * 2.4% 84.2% $69

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bambous

$20 * 3.7% 71.7% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $38 in Bambous. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $173, with Bambous cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇺 Bambous

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

23:02 11:02 PM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 51.98 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Bambous 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bambous

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 Bambous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $544 in Bambous, so Bambous is about 57% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $817 in Bambous to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $130 in Bambous. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $38 in Bambous. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $544 in Bambous versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bambous but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bambous 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.