Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tamarin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tamarin: $1,033 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Tamarin
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Tamarin Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tamarin

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tamarin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,033 in Tamarin.

Phuket $1,278
Tamarin $1,033

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,648 in Tamarin.

Phuket $2,216
Tamarin $1,648

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,263 in Tamarin.

Phuket $3,154
Tamarin $2,263

Living in Phuket is roughly 24% more expensive than in Tamarin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tamarin 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.00 MUR 283

-25.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$32.24 MUR 1,519

0.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.12 MUR 335

23.74%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.69 MUR 127

5.20%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.15 MUR 54.1

-24.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.64 MUR 30.12

-23.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.59 MUR 122

-1.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.81 MUR 227

-23.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.49 MUR 70.1

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.20 MUR 9.42

630.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.14 MUR 53.8

31.58%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.55 MUR 120

-18.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$3.75 MUR 177

408.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.26 MUR 295

-47.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.29 MUR 532

-3.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.11 MUR 99.3

38.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.14 MUR 101

-21.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.40 MUR 66.2

60.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.01 MUR 142

-30.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.96 MUR 45.23

57.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.02 MUR 47.89

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.70 MUR 32.75

52.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.88 MUR 41.50

-40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.18 MUR 291

-32.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.69 MUR 410

116.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.69 MUR 79.5

7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.94 MUR 91.2

46.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.87 MUR 40.88

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.24 MUR 200

-28.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$3.24 MUR 153

-68.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.42 MUR 303

-42.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.37 MUR 64.5

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$29.8K MUR 1.4M

-10.05%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$30.7K MUR 1.4M

-13.06%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$44.27 MUR 2,086

117.64%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.47 MUR 494

7.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.63 MUR 1,396

-43.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$41.34 MUR 1,948

62.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.46 MUR 304

16.10%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$125 MUR 5,900

280.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$3,083 MUR 145.3K

265.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$63.5 MUR 2,994

-1.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$53.8 MUR 2,536

-47.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$85.9 MUR 4,048

9.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$58.9 MUR 2,777

45.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$957 MUR 45.1K

-25.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$420 MUR 19.8K

16.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,608 MUR 75.8K

19.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$862 MUR 40.6K

66.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$835 MUR 39.4K

-39.88%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Tamarin: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tamarin

$420 40.7% 14.3% $70

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tamarin

$200 19.4% 24.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tamarin

$84 8.2% 32.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tamarin

$118 11.4% 3.2% $3.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tamarin

$131 12.7% 8% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tamarin

$54 5.3% 34% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tamarin

$24 * 2.3% 66.1% $47

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 $957 in Tamarin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tamarin pays 66% 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 $32 in Tamarin. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $200, with Tamarin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇺 Tamarin

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

10:51 10:51 AM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,371

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.12 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.61 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tamarin 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tamarin

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 Tamarin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tamarin is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 40% 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 $957 in Tamarin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $125 in Tamarin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Tamarin is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Tamarin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.