Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rawalpindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawalpindi: $491 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
Learn more

Rawalpindi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$491

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rawalpindi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $491 in Rawalpindi.

Phuket $1,190
Rawalpindi $491

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $776 in Rawalpindi.

Phuket $2,006
Rawalpindi $776

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $1,060 in Rawalpindi.

Phuket $2,822
Rawalpindi $1,060

Living in Phuket is roughly 142% more expensive than in Rawalpindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Rawalpindi 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$2.03 PKR 561

114.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$16.03 PKR 4,436

102.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$5.83 PKR 1,612

44.43%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 PKR 511

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 PKR 927

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$1.95 PKR 539

44.10%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.44 PKR 121

97.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.25 PKR 69.6

84.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$0.84 PKR 233

103.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.56 PKR 155

158.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.24 PKR 343

25.81%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$1.14 PKR 316

84.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$6.38 PKR 1,765

206.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.53 PKR 977

-3.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$4.95 PKR 1,370

125.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$1.16 PKR 320

143.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$0.87 PKR 242

86.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.24 PKR 343

79.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$0.54 PKR 149

298.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.38 PKR 105

292.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.46 PKR 127

189.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$0.33 PKR 92.7

224.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.39 PKR 108

30.77%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.10 PKR 4,457

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 PKR 334

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$2.03 PKR 562

115.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$0.20 PKR 55.7

985.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$10.05 PKR 2,781

121.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$0.94 PKR 259

221.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.37 PKR 104

186.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.14 PKR 870

18.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.19 PKR 329

20.17%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$18.9K PKR 5.2M

39.44%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

8.04%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$111 PKR 30.7K

-12.96%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$5.70 PKR 1,577

100.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$18.42 PKR 5,097

-7.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$11.76 PKR 3,256

348.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$7.27 PKR 2,012

52.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$4.40 PKR 1,219

73.86%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$48.86 PKR 13.5K

1035.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$1,033 PKR 285.8K

992.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$17.34 PKR 4,798

265.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$32.45 PKR 8,981

-11.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$91.5 PKR 25.3K

5.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$36.83 PKR 10.2K

140.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$197 PKR 54.7K

272.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

457.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$410 PKR 113.4K

412.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$231 PKR 63.8K

414.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$1,196 PKR 331.1K

191.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$454 PKR 125.6K

449.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$177 PKR 49.0K

182.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

22.81

-75.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Rawalpindi

$82 16.7% 82.1% $376

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Rawalpindi

$102 20.7% 62% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Rawalpindi

$135 27.4% 8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Rawalpindi

$80 16.2% 35.8% $45

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Rawalpindi

$60 12.1% 49.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2% 69.8% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Rawalpindi

$14 2.8% 65.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $197 in Rawalpindi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 183% 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 $16.00 in Rawalpindi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $102 per month, with Rawalpindi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

2 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,098,231

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Rawalpindi 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rawalpindi

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 Rawalpindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawalpindi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 142% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 183% 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: $735 in Phuket versus $197 in Rawalpindi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $48.86 in Rawalpindi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 163% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $491 in Rawalpindi versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rawalpindi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rawalpindi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rawalpindi 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 Rawalpindi 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 Rawalpindi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 142% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.