Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Surinam

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
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Surinam Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Surinam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $626 in Surinam.

Phuket $1,208
Surinam $626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,049 in Surinam.

Phuket $2,027
Surinam $1,049

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,472 in Surinam.

Phuket $2,845
Surinam $1,472

Living in Phuket is roughly 93% more expensive than in Surinam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Surinam 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$5.96 MUR 280

-26.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$38.18 MUR 1,797

-15.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.54 MUR 355

16.18%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.70 MUR 127

4.81%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.18 MUR 55.3

-23.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.68 MUR 31.99

-30.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.68 MUR 126

-4.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.62 MUR 218

-17.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.61 MUR 75.6

7.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.72 MUR 33.80

104.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.10 MUR 51.8

37.27%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.65 MUR 125

-18.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$5.31 MUR 250

271.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$6.18 MUR 291

-45.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.05 MUR 520

1.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.81 MUR 132

1.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.66 MUR 125

-36.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.45 MUR 68.3

51.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.98 MUR 140

-31.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.93 MUR 43.58

55.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.96 MUR 45.08

43.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.73 MUR 34.57

46.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.89 MUR 41.98

-42.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.34 MUR 298

-32.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.60 MUR 405

116.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.66 MUR 78.3

7.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.38 MUR 112

19.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$4.09 MUR 192

-26.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$3.22 MUR 151

-67.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$20.97 MUR 987

-81.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.39 MUR 65.2

4.32%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

-28.76%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

-11.51%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$44.93 MUR 2,115

114.51%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$10.67 MUR 502

3.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$28.60 MUR 1,346

-40.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.39 MUR 301

22.22%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$124 MUR 5,826

349.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

52.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$78.6 MUR 3,702

-18.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$75.1 MUR 3,533

-61.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$120 MUR 5,633

-20.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$78.1 MUR 3,678

12.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Surinam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Surinam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Surinam

$217 34.8% 19% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Surinam

$84 13.5% 32.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Surinam

$158 25.3% 27.2% $34

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Surinam

$133 21.2% 9.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Surinam

$13 * 2% 81.1% $55

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Surinam

$20 * 3.2% 48.9% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $38.00 in Surinam. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $218, with Surinam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇺 Surinam

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

08:35 8:35 AM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

10,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Surinam 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Surinam

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 Surinam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surinam is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $938 in Surinam to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $124 in Surinam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surinam – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $626 in Surinam versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surinam but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Surinam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Surinam 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 Surinam 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 Surinam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.