Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Midlands

For one person, living is cheaper in Midlands: $623 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Midlands
Learn more

Midlands Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Midlands

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Midlands

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $623 in Midlands, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Midlands $623

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,044 in Midlands, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Midlands $1,044

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,465 in Midlands, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Midlands $1,465

Phuket costs about 105% more than Midlands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Midlands are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Midlands 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.77 MUR 269

-22.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$38.11 MUR 1,775

-14.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.41 MUR 345

18.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.63 MUR 122

7.60%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.19 MUR 55.3

-26.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.64 MUR 29.67

-23.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.73 MUR 127

-6.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.86 MUR 227

-24.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.61 MUR 75.1

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.73 MUR 33.99

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.10 MUR 51.2

36.36%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.57 MUR 119

-18.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.38 MUR 251

254.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.27 MUR 292

-47.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.11 MUR 518

-1.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.78 MUR 130

5.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.68 MUR 125

-36.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.39 MUR 64.9

61.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.00 MUR 140

-30.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.94 MUR 43.60

60.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.01 MUR 46.82

36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.75 MUR 35.07

42.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.86 MUR 40.07

-39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.64 MUR 309

-36.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.24 MUR 384

128.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.72 MUR 80.0

5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.39 MUR 112

18.83%

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

$4.30 MUR 200

-29.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$3.27 MUR 152

-68.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$20.93 MUR 975

-82.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.37 MUR 63.7

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$36.0K MUR 1.7M

-25.60%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$31.3K MUR 1.5M

-14.63%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$44.87 MUR 2,090

114.73%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.80 MUR 503

4.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$28.85 MUR 1,344

-41.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.36 MUR 296

17.92%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$125 MUR 5,839

279.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$7,801 MUR 363.4K

44.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$76.9 MUR 3,584

-18.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$73.1 MUR 3,406

-61.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$121 MUR 5,659

-22.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$76.8 MUR 3,575

11.79%

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 Midlands: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Midlands

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Midlands

$217 34.9% 18.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Midlands

$85 13.6% 32.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Midlands

$157 25.2% 28.6% $35

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Midlands

$131 21% 7.3% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Midlands

$13 * 2% 84.5% $70

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Midlands

$21 * 3.3% 70.7% $50

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $38 in Midlands. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $217 in Midlands – so Midlands wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇺 Midlands

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

22:15 10:15 PM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,546

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Midlands 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Midlands

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 Midlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 105% more than Midlands, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $934 in Midlands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $623 in Midlands. That makes Midlands about 51% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $125 in Midlands. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Midlands, where all-in costs run around $623, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Midlands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $623 in Midlands to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.