Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lalmatie

For one person, living is cheaper in Lalmatie: $710 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Lalmatie
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Lalmatie Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Lalmatie

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lalmatie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $710 in Lalmatie.

Phuket $1,278
Lalmatie $710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,255 in Lalmatie.

Phuket $2,216
Lalmatie $1,255

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,800 in Lalmatie.

Phuket $3,154
Lalmatie $1,800

Living in Phuket is roughly 80% more expensive than in Lalmatie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Lalmatie 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.71 MUR 271

-21.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$37.76 MUR 1,790

-14.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.61 MUR 361

15.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.71 MUR 128

4.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.03 MUR 48.74

-15.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.52 MUR 24.43

-5.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.84 MUR 87.1

39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.15 MUR 102

71.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.55 MUR 73.3

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.17 MUR 8.19

758.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.12 MUR 53.0

33.93%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.68 MUR 127

-22.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$12.49 MUR 592

52.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.29 MUR 298

-47.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.38 MUR 539

-4.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.88 MUR 136

1.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.56 MUR 122

-33.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.39 MUR 66.1

61.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.99 MUR 94.2

4.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.02 MUR 48.18

48.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.01 MUR 48.06

36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.74 MUR 35.18

44.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.91 MUR 43.14

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.55 MUR 310

-35.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.37 MUR 349

154.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.70 MUR 80.6

7.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.40 MUR 114

18.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.08 MUR 51.3

34.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$54.6 MUR 2,588

3.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.36 MUR 207

-30.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.28 MUR 60.6

-20.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$21.17 MUR 1,004

-82.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.42 MUR 67.4

3.52%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$36.9K MUR 1.7M

-27.35%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$31.2K MUR 1.5M

-14.43%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$44.32 MUR 2,101

117.40%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.75 MUR 509

4.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.01 MUR 1,375

-41.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$37.87 MUR 1,796

77.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.55 MUR 311

14.50%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$98.7 MUR 4,681

382.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$7,709 MUR 365.5K

46.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$12.55 MUR 595

396.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$25.36 MUR 1,203

12.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$50.5 MUR 2,395

86.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$37.95 MUR 1,799

126.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$204 MUR 9,690

250.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$100 MUR 4,763

388.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$615 MUR 29.2K

213.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$375 MUR 17.8K

281.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$630 MUR 29.9K

-20.31%

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 Lalmatie: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Lalmatie

$100 14.1% 79.5% $390

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Lalmatie

$228 32% 14.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Lalmatie

$84 11.8% 32.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lalmatie

$57 8% 53.3% $65

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lalmatie

$121 17% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Lalmatie

$51 7.2% 38% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Lalmatie

$70 9.8% 1.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $204 in Lalmatie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lalmatie pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $38 in Lalmatie. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $228, with Lalmatie cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇺 Lalmatie

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

20:06 8:06 PM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

10,641

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MUR = 2.11 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 47.41 MUR (100 MUR = 2.11 USD). 1 EUR = 52.77 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Lalmatie 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lalmatie

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 Lalmatie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lalmatie is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and leisure. The 80% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $204 in Lalmatie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lalmatie runs roughly 4% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $99 in Lalmatie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $710 in Lalmatie versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lalmatie but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Lalmatie 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 Lalmatie are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.