Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Palembang

For one person, living is cheaper in Palembang: $612 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Palembang
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Palembang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Palembang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Palembang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $612 in Palembang.

Phuket $1,294
Palembang $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $961 in Palembang.

Phuket $2,204
Palembang $961

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,310 in Palembang.

Phuket $3,115
Palembang $1,310

Living in Phuket is roughly 111% more expensive than in Palembang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Palembang 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$1.07 Rp 19.5K

310.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,089

$15.64 Rp 284.1K

106.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$2.80 Rp 50.9K

210.71%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.8

$1.24 Rp 22.6K

119.35%

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

$0.93 ฿31.35

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

16.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.83

$0.24 Rp 4,364

108.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.3

$1.68 Rp 30.5K

50.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.27 Rp 59.4K

11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$1.06 Rp 19.3K

64.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.89

$1.08 Rp 19.6K

34.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.81 Rp 14.8K

85.19%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.2

$1.21 Rp 22.0K

79.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿643

$7.22 Rp 131.0K

164.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$2.88 Rp 52.3K

18.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿367

$7.33 Rp 133.1K

48.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.1

$2.15 Rp 39.1K

36.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.30 Rp 23.6K

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.9

$1.58 Rp 28.7K

38.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

78.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.15

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

15.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.10

$1.91 Rp 34.6K

-28.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.26

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

36.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.38

$0.40 Rp 7,227

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.18 Rp 39.6K

103.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿615

$20.64 Rp 374.9K

-11.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.7

$1.81 Rp 32.8K

-2.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.1

$2.99 Rp 54.3K

-3.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.78

$0.40 Rp 7,248

262.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

$11.46 Rp 208.2K

378.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.53 Rp 9,692

184.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.14

$0.32 Rp 5,762

143.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$2.81 Rp 51.1K

36.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

73.26%

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

$26.9K ฿905.9K

$22.8K Rp 413.3M

18.11%

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

$26.3K ฿887.8K

$32.4K Rp 587.9M

-18.61%

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

$97.8 ฿3,296

$63.4 Rp 1.2M

54.20%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$4.33 Rp 78.6K

160.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿579

$18.77 Rp 340.9K

-8.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,303

$18.37 Rp 333.6K

271.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$8.15 Rp 148.0K

33.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$2.83 Rp 51.4K

162.54%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$94.4 Rp 1.7M

462.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿632.9K

$8,086 Rp 146.9M

132.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,078

$43.62 Rp 792.1K

41.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿952

$28.51 Rp 517.7K

-0.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,235

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

27.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,926

$69.2 Rp 1.3M

25.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$223 Rp 4.1M

223.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$148 Rp 2.7M

244.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.7K

$560 Rp 10.2M

247.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$364 Rp 6.6M

283.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.3K

$1,145 Rp 20.8M

266.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.2K

$778 Rp 14.1M

324.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$307 Rp 5.6M

60.14%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Palembang: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Palembang

$148 24.2% 70.9% $361

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Palembang

$190 31.1% 28.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Palembang

$87 14.1% 31.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Palembang

$97 15.9% 20.6% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Palembang

$51 8.3% 57.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Palembang

$24 3.9% 71.1% $59

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Palembang

$15 2.5% 77% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $225 in Palembang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 64% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Palembang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $190 per month, with Palembang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇩 Palembang

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,708,413

💱 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 = 4.92 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 = 37.73 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 = 20,333 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Palembang 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Palembang

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 Palembang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Palembang is about 53% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 64% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $225 in Palembang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $612 in Palembang – Palembang is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Palembang runs roughly 80% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $612 in Palembang versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Palembang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Palembang 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 Palembang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.