Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Denpasar, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Denpasar, Bali: $905 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Denpasar, Bali
Learn more

Denpasar, Bali Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Denpasar, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Denpasar, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $905 in Denpasar, Bali.

Phuket $1,278
Denpasar, Bali $905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,497 in Denpasar, Bali.

Phuket $2,216
Denpasar, Bali $1,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,089 in Denpasar, Bali.

Phuket $3,154
Denpasar, Bali $2,089

Living in Phuket is roughly 41% more expensive than in Denpasar, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Denpasar, Bali 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.23 Rp 40.5K

100.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$23.40 Rp 424.0K

38.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.84 Rp 69.6K

129.43%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.76 Rp 31.8K

60.80%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.16 Rp 21.0K

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.54 Rp 9,749

-9.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

42.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.84 Rp 51.5K

29.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

36.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.78 Rp 32.2K

-17.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.98 Rp 17.8K

53.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.72 Rp 31.2K

21.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$14.45 Rp 261.9K

31.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.22 Rp 58.3K

2.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.52 Rp 172.4K

14.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.92 Rp 52.9K

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

35.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.88 Rp 34.0K

19.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.59 Rp 28.8K

30.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.49 Rp 27.1K

1.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.87 Rp 34.0K

-26.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

25.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.39 Rp 7,080

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

132.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.97 Rp 325.7K

4.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.91 Rp 34.7K

-4.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.44 Rp 44.3K

16.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.23 Rp 4,155

530.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$7.97 Rp 144.5K

610.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.42 Rp 7,612

619.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.43 Rp 7,737

137.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.07 Rp 55.7K

20.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.75 Rp 13.6K

96.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$21.6K Rp 391.2M

24.03%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$29.5K Rp 535.0M

-9.59%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$73.6 Rp 1.3M

30.91%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.88 Rp 106.5K

91.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$16.22 Rp 293.9K

3.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$35.04 Rp 634.9K

91.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$12.85 Rp 232.9K

-16.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.03 Rp 54.8K

147.52%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$378 Rp 6.8M

26.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$4,463 Rp 80.9M

152.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$39.59 Rp 717.4K

57.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$29.73 Rp 538.6K

-4.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$67.0 Rp 1.2M

40.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$66.8 Rp 1.2M

28.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$591 Rp 10.7M

21.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$360 Rp 6.5M

36.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,857 Rp 33.7M

3.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$889 Rp 16.1M

60.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,448 Rp 26.2M

188.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,176 Rp 21.3M

158.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$279 Rp 5.1M

79.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.78

-59.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Denpasar, Bali: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Denpasar, Bali

$360 39.8% 26.6% $131

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Denpasar, Bali

$233 25.8% 12.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Denpasar, Bali

$96 10.6% 23.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Denpasar, Bali

$91 10.1% 25% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Denpasar, Bali

$72 8% 40.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Denpasar, Bali

$41 4.5% 50% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Denpasar, Bali

$11 1.3% 83.8% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $591 in Denpasar, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 80% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $23 in Denpasar, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $233 per month, with Denpasar, Bali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇩 Denpasar, Bali

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

00:10 12:10 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

788,445

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Denpasar, Bali 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Denpasar, Bali

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 Denpasar, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $905 in Denpasar, Bali, so Denpasar, Bali is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Phuket, 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 $591 in Denpasar, Bali. 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 $905 in Denpasar, Bali – Denpasar, Bali is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Denpasar, Bali runs roughly 86% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $905 in Denpasar, Bali versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Denpasar, Bali but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Denpasar, Bali 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 Denpasar, Bali are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Denpasar, Bali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.