Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pekanbaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Pekanbaru: $628 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Pekanbaru
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Pekanbaru Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Pekanbaru

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pekanbaru

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $628 in Pekanbaru.

Phuket $1,207
Pekanbaru $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $983 in Pekanbaru.

Phuket $2,037
Pekanbaru $983

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,339 in Pekanbaru.

Phuket $2,867
Pekanbaru $1,339

Living in Phuket is roughly 92% more expensive than in Pekanbaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Pekanbaru 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

220.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$8.20 Rp 147.6K

296.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

254.77%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

109.23%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.58 Rp 10.4K

62.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.33 Rp 5,954

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

25.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

24.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

71.91%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

29.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$7.30 Rp 131.3K

162.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.37 Rp 42.7K

39.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

71.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.70 Rp 48.5K

9.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

-1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

-4.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

67.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

23.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

-28.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

49.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.35 Rp 6,350

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

97.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$21.45 Rp 386.0K

-15.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

-8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.01 Rp 54.2K

-7.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.29 Rp 5,230

665.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$8.44 Rp 152.0K

161.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

216.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.40 Rp 7,154

152.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.68 Rp 48.2K

42.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

96.05%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$23.3K Rp 418.9M

14.64%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$26.0K Rp 468.5M

2.61%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$62.1 Rp 1.1M

60.07%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

88.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$23.78 Rp 428.1K

-27.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$28.34 Rp 510.2K

84.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$8.31 Rp 149.7K

30.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$3.03 Rp 54.6K

149.83%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$96.0 Rp 1.7M

481.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$7,773 Rp 139.9M

47.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$31.96 Rp 575.3K

96.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$28.42 Rp 511.6K

0.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$54.8 Rp 985.5K

75.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

9.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$262 Rp 4.7M

178.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$145 Rp 2.6M

217.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$540 Rp 9.7M

287.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$356 Rp 6.4M

243.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,070 Rp 19.3M

223.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$807 Rp 14.5M

208.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$176 Rp 3.2M

180.14%

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: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pekanbaru: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Pekanbaru

$145 23.1% 68.5% $315

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Pekanbaru

$201 32% 24.9% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Pekanbaru

$92 14.6% 28.2% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Pekanbaru

$88 14% 28.9% $36

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Pekanbaru

$55 8.8% 54.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Pekanbaru

$34 5.5% 49% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Pekanbaru

$13 2% 67.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $262 in Pekanbaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 180% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $8.00 in Pekanbaru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $201 per month, with Pekanbaru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇩 Pekanbaru

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,020,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Pekanbaru 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Pekanbaru

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 Pekanbaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pekanbaru is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 92% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 180% 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: $729 in Phuket versus $262 in Pekanbaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pekanbaru – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $628 in Pekanbaru – a 92% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $628 in Pekanbaru versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pekanbaru but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Pekanbaru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pekanbaru is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Pekanbaru are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Pekanbaru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.