Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Makassar

For one person, living is cheaper in Makassar: $640 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Makassar
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Makassar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Makassar

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Makassar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $640 in Makassar.

Phuket $1,278
Makassar $640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $989 in Makassar.

Phuket $2,216
Makassar $989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,338 in Makassar.

Phuket $3,154
Makassar $1,338

Living in Phuket is roughly 100% more expensive than in Makassar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.61 Rp 29.2K

177.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$9.07 Rp 164.8K

257.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.09 Rp 56.2K

185.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.98 Rp 36.0K

42.93%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.49 Rp 8,981

77.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.33 Rp 5,947

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.54 Rp 46.2K

0.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.18 Rp 57.8K

15.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.56 Rp 28.3K

6.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.02 Rp 18.6K

43.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.57 Rp 10.4K

163.16%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.50 Rp 27.3K

39.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$6.43 Rp 116.8K

196.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.48 Rp 63.2K

-5.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$5.38 Rp 97.8K

102.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.35 Rp 42.7K

24.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.36 Rp 24.6K

24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.88 Rp 34.2K

19.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.20 Rp 21.7K

73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

19.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.48 Rp 27.0K

-6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

40.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.41 Rp 7,416

26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.71 Rp 49.2K

54.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$22.04 Rp 400.2K

-14.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.79 Rp 32.5K

1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.93 Rp 53.2K

-3.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.29 Rp 5,304

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$11.90 Rp 216.0K

376.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.49 Rp 8,832

516.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.34 Rp 6,238

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

31.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.77 Rp 13.9K

90.91%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$22.9K Rp 415.9M

16.92%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$32.4K Rp 588.5M

-17.64%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$89.6 Rp 1.6M

7.57%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$2.62 Rp 47.5K

329.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$24.31 Rp 441.5K

-30.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$21.48 Rp 390.0K

212.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$8.36 Rp 151.9K

28.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.36 Rp 61.0K

123.21%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$91.7 Rp 1.7M

418.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$3,715 Rp 67.5M

203.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$27.01 Rp 490.6K

130.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$22.77 Rp 413.6K

24.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

26.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$39.35 Rp 714.6K

118.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$225 Rp 4.1M

217.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$144 Rp 2.6M

241.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$553 Rp 10.0M

248.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$363 Rp 6.6M

294.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$1,146 Rp 20.8M

264.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$795 Rp 14.4M

283.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$211 Rp 3.8M

137.78%

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 Makassar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Makassar

$144 22.5% 70.7% $347

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Makassar

$194 30.3% 27.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Makassar

$116 18.2% 6.4% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Makassar

$74 11.5% 39.6% $48

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Makassar

$68 10.7% 43.9% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Makassar

$28 4.4% 65.7% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Makassar

$15 2.4% 78.4% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $225 in Makassar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $9 in Makassar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $194 per month, with Makassar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇩 Makassar

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,427,619

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.91 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,161 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,355 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Makassar 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Makassar

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 Makassar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makassar wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Makassar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.4 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 $225 in Makassar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Makassar runs roughly 79% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $92 in Makassar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $640 in Makassar versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Makassar but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Makassar 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.

Expats usually find Makassar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.