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: $1,232 in Phuket versus $351 in Sylhet.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $562 in Sylhet.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $774 in Sylhet.

Living in Phuket is roughly 251% more expensive than Sylhet, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Sylhet 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$2.09 ৳256

121.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$10.72 ৳1,316

336.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$4.07 ৳500

117.20%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.06 ৳498

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 ৳534

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$1.87 ৳229

60.43%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.35 ৳42.50

111.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.15 ৳19.02

146.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$0.76 ৳92.9

197.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.50 ৳61.9

268.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.66 ৳80.5

239.39%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.21 ৳148

91.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$6.80 ৳835

189.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$2.58 ৳317

41.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$6.23 ৳765

110.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.15 ৳264

57.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.01 ৳124

62.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.99 ৳244

21.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$0.51 ৳62.1

298.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.38 ৳46.95

310.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.66 ৳81.6

127.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.35 ৳43.56

191.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.26 ৳31.56

88.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.77 ৳462

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 ৳285

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ৳553

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$2.68 ৳330

66.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.39 ৳48.33

258.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$16.46 ৳2,021

-30.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$0.81 ৳99.1

285.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.35 ৳42.46

185.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$1.45 ৳178

871.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$0.91 ৳112

48.35%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$28.2K ৳3.5M

-3.57%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$25.7K ৳3.2M

27.87%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$29.98 ৳3,680

316.88%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$4.77 ৳585

184.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$12.95 ৳1,589

43.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$10.12 ৳1,242

507.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$8.29 ৳1,017

103.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$4.16 ৳511

120.91%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$36.61 ৳4,494

1807.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$922 ৳113.1K

1592.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$13.81 ৳1,695

318.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$16.97 ৳2,084

107.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$38.31 ৳4,702

195.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$36.69 ৳4,504

135.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$68.5 ৳8,411

798.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$60.7 ৳7,445

635.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$164 ৳20.1K

1149.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$112 ৳13.8K

1229.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$595 ৳73.1K

534.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$311 ৳38.2K

750.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$231 ৳28.4K

126.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

8.83

-39.64%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Sylhet: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $68.5 in Sylhet. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 126% 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: $47.00 in Phuket vs $11.00 in Sylhet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $106 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, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 251% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Phuket pays 126% more on average, 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: $616 in Phuket versus $68.5 in Sylhet. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $36.61 in Sylhet. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 175% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $351 in Sylhet versus $1,232 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 251% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.