Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Manado

For one person, living is cheaper in Manado: $562 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Manado
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Manado Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Manado

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Manado

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $562 in Manado, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Manado $562

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $888 in Manado, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Manado $888

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,214 in Manado, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Manado $1,214

Phuket costs about 127% more than Manado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Manado are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Manado 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.42 Rp 25.8K

214.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$16.22 Rp 294.5K

99.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.80 Rp 50.9K

214.64%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

66.47%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.61 Rp 11.0K

42.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.25 Rp 4,573

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.36 Rp 61.0K

-23.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.68 Rp 48.7K

37.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

22.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.04 Rp 18.8K

40.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.71 Rp 12.9K

111.27%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.86 Rp 33.8K

12.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$16.53 Rp 300.2K

15.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.68 Rp 48.7K

23.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.38 Rp 116.0K

71.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.25 Rp 40.9K

30.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.44 Rp 26.2K

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

78.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.95 Rp 17.3K

118.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.83 Rp 15.1K

81.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.77 Rp 50.3K

-50.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.90 Rp 16.4K

18.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.43 Rp 7,781

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.36 Rp 42.9K

77.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$20.63 Rp 374.6K

-8.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

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

$0.31 Rp 5,635

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$12.15 Rp 220.6K

366.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.53 Rp 9,616

469.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.31 Rp 5,703

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.61 Rp 47.4K

41.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.59 Rp 10.8K

149.15%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$25.2K Rp 456.8M

6.46%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$31.3K Rp 569.3M

-14.86%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$53.0 Rp 962.0K

81.90%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.44 Rp 80.6K

153.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$13.98 Rp 254.0K

20.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$12.65 Rp 229.8K

431.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$8.42 Rp 152.9K

27.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.44 Rp 44.3K

207.38%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$124 Rp 2.3M

282.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$4,574 Rp 83.1M

146.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$54.9 Rp 996.8K

13.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$19.80 Rp 359.5K

43.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

39.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$61.3 Rp 1.1M

39.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$244 Rp 4.4M

193.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

503.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$299 Rp 5.4M

543.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$171 Rp 3.1M

738.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$1,138 Rp 20.7M

267.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$787 Rp 14.3M

287.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$212 Rp 3.9M

136.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manado: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Manado

$81 14.5% 83.4% $410

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Manado

$219 39% 17.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Manado

$71 12.7% 42.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Manado

$92 16.3% 24.8% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Manado

$66 11.7% 46% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Manado

$18 3.1% 78.7% $65

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Manado

$15 2.8% 78.1% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $244 in Manado. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $16 in Manado. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $219 – making Manado the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇩 Manado

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

13:27 1:27 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

423,257

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Manado 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Manado

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 Manado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $843 in Manado. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manado, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Manado. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $124 in Manado. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Manado, where all-in costs run around $562, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Manado it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Manado – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Manado. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.