Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sylhet Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sylhet

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,261 in Phuket versus $364 in Sylhet.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,078 in Phuket versus $615 in Sylhet.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,896 in Phuket versus $866 in Sylhet.

Living in Phuket is roughly 247% more expensive than in Sylhet, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Sylhet 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 ฿145

$2.45 ৳299

80.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.07 ฿1,151

$11.32 ৳1,382

209.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.96 ฿294

$3.96 ৳483

126.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.00 ৳610

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 ৳490

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.4

$1.99 ৳242

50.75%

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

$0.77 ฿25.33

$0.30 ৳36.26

156.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.44

$0.16 ৳20.04

193.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 ฿78.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ฿59.8

$0.83 ৳101

119.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ฿46.65

$0.59 ৳72.3

140.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿50.8

$0.64 ৳78.1

142.19%

Eggs

$2.13 ฿69.9

$1.16 ৳142

83.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.76 ฿648

$7.51 ৳917

163.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿114

$3.34 ৳407

4.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ฿364

$6.56 ৳800

69.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿95.5

$2.70 ৳330

7.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ฿54.6

$0.93 ৳114

78.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿74.5

$2.41 ৳294

-5.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ฿68.8

$0.67 ৳81.6

213.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.24

$0.24 ৳29.40

512.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 ฿46.29

$0.50 ৳60.6

182.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ฿35.78

$0.31 ৳38.34

251.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ฿17.58

$0.30 ৳36.81

80.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.78 ৳339

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ৳255

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 ৳479

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 ฿147

$2.80 ৳341

60.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ฿614

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿60.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ฿96.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿74.1

$0.75 ৳91.6

201.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.07 ฿757

$24.33 ৳2,969

-5.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 ฿99.9

$1.19 ৳145

155.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 ฿35.82

$0.15 ৳18.61

626.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ฿125

$1.17 ৳143

226.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿48.79

$1.02 ৳125

46.08%

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

$27.4K ฿900.3K

$29.3K ৳3.6M

-6.42%

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

$27.5K ฿902.7K

$31.5K ৳3.8M

-12.57%

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

$102 ฿3,340

$25.76 ৳3,143

295.23%

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

$11.28 ฿370

$3.86 ৳471

192.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.75 ฿582

$12.38 ৳1,510

43.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 ฿1,777

$9.20 ৳1,122

488.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.96 ฿360

$4.02 ৳490

172.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ฿258

$4.12 ৳503

90.53%

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

$577 ฿18.9K

$28.72 ৳3,504

1909.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿381.6K

$994 ৳121.3K

1070.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 ฿2,144

$16.33 ৳1,992

300.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.89 ฿948

$16.16 ৳1,972

78.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 ฿3,250

$36.29 ৳4,428

172.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 ฿2,961

$29.90 ৳3,648

201.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ฿24.8K

$130 ৳15.8K

481.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 ฿16.0K

$57.5 ৳7,011

748.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 ฿68.4K

$172 ৳21.0K

1110.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ฿39.6K

$158 ৳19.3K

661.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,591 ฿117.8K

$698 ৳85.1K

414.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,610 ฿85.6K

$353 ৳43.0K

640.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.5K

$229 ৳28.0K

119.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.98

-49.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: August 18, 2026

Last update for Sylhet: August 17, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Phuket and $130 in Sylhet. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 119% 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: $35.00 in Phuket vs $11.00 in Sylhet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $119 per month, with Sylhet cheaper across the board.

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 Sylhet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sylhet is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 247% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 119% 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: $756 in Phuket versus $130 in Sylhet. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $577 in Phuket versus $28.72 in Sylhet. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 128% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $364 in Sylhet versus $1,261 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sylhet but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sylhet the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sylhet 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 Sylhet 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 Sylhet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 247% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.