Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Surabaya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $674 in Surabaya.

Phuket $1,208
Surabaya $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,173 in Surabaya.

Phuket $2,027
Surabaya $1,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,672 in Surabaya.

Phuket $2,845
Surabaya $1,672

Living in Phuket is roughly 79% more expensive than in Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Surabaya 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

169.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

186.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

178.98%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

81.41%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.55 Rp 9,867

63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.26 Rp 4,619

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

18.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

-7.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

38.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

15.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

81.93%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

83.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

154.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

8.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

44.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

41.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

31.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

15.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

37.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

6.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

-27.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.39 Rp 7,029

30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

115.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

-26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

2.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

0.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.35 Rp 6,237

545.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.46 Rp 8,282

554.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.42 Rp 7,542

152.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

49.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

64.77%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

6.95%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

-16.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

10.38%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

141.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

-10.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

191.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

67.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

195.83%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$277 Rp 5.0M

100.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

24.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

-9.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

-25.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

18.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

17.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$282 Rp 5.1M

161.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$144 Rp 2.6M

220.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

69.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$601 Rp 10.8M

99.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

61.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

135.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$271 Rp 4.9M

85.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.5

-25.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Surabaya

$144 21.4% 68.8% $318

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Surabaya

$209 31% 22.3% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Surabaya

$111 16.5% 10.9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Surabaya

$119 17.7% 3.9% $4.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Surabaya

$63 9.4% 47.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Surabaya

$23 3.4% 65.8% $45

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 90% $36

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 $737 in Phuket and $282 in Surabaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 85% 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 $11.00 in Surabaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $209 per month, with Surabaya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,765,487

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Surabaya 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Surabaya

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 Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surabaya is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 85% 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: $737 in Phuket versus $282 in Surabaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $277 in Surabaya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surabaya – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $674 in Surabaya versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surabaya but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Surabaya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Surabaya 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 Surabaya 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 Surabaya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.