Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sur

For one person, living is cheaper in Sur: $1,149 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Sur
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Sur Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sur

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,149 in Sur.

Phuket $1,278
Sur $1,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,653 in Sur.

Phuket $2,216
Sur $1,653

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,156 in Sur.

Phuket $3,154
Sur $2,156

Living in Phuket is roughly 11% more expensive than in Sur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sur 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.88 OMR 1.49

15.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$25.96 OMR 9.99

24.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.63 OMR 2.94

15.47%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.05 OMR 1.94

-43.96%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.73 OMR 0.28

19.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.27 OMR 0.10

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$12.80 OMR 4.93

-80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$12.79 OMR 4.92

-71.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.59 OMR 0.61

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.23 OMR 0.48

18.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.73 OMR 0.66

-13.29%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.95 OMR 0.75

7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$7.19 OMR 2.77

165.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.81 OMR 2.62

-51.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.99 OMR 3.46

21.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.35 OMR 0.91

24.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.28 OMR 0.49

32.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.06 OMR 0.41

112.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.80 OMR 0.31

160.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.76 OMR 0.29

98.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.54 OMR 0.21

155.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.55 OMR 0.60

-30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.53 OMR 0.21

-1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.38 OMR 2.45

-34.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.86 OMR 6.11

18.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$6.10 OMR 2.35

-70.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$10.30 OMR 3.96

-72.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.32 OMR 1.28

-9.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.61 OMR 1.01

-60.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.74 OMR 2.98

-52.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.53 OMR 0.20

177.36%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$24.7K OMR 9,491

8.62%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$20.7K OMR 7,965

29.02%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$77.7 OMR 29.90

24.05%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.09 OMR 8.89

-51.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$69.7 OMR 26.85

-75.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$86.3 OMR 33.21

-22.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.25 OMR 3.95

-26.83%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$502 OMR 193

-5.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,458 OMR 2,486

74.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$56.9 OMR 21.89

9.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$44.07 OMR 16.97

-35.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$88.9 OMR 34.23

6.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$88.4 OMR 34.01

-2.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$257 OMR 99.0

178.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$271 OMR 104

81.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$467 OMR 180

312.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$385 OMR 148

271.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$583 OMR 224

616.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$515 OMR 198

491.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,660 OMR 1,024

-81.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sur: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sur

$271 23.5% 44.9% $220

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sur

$252 21.9% 5.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sur

$170 14.8% 37% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sur

$125 10.9% 2.7% $3.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sur

$208 18.1% 71% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sur

$107 9.3% 29.8% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sur

$16 * 1.4% 76.8% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $257 in Sur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sur pays about 5.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $26 in Sur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $252 per month, with Sur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇴🇲 Sur

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

22:39 10:39 PM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

120,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.429 OMR (1 OMR = 2.33 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sur 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sur

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 Sur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sur is cheaper overall, especially in transport and groceries. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $257 in Sur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $502 in Sur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sur – a meal for two runs $26 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Sur gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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