Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetta and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetta: $415 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Quetta
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Quetta Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Quetta

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$415

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quetta and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Quetta and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $415 in Quetta versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Quetta $415
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $620 in Quetta versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Quetta $620
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $826 in Quetta versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Quetta $826
Phuket $3,154

Living in Quetta costs roughly 68% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quetta 70% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 PKR 971

$4.47 ฿151

-21.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.77 PKR 2,980

$32.41 ฿1,093

-66.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.59 PKR 1,270

$8.81 ฿297

-47.90%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 PKR 515

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 PKR 1,431

Cappuccino

$1.65 PKR 456

$2.83 ฿95.4

-41.70%

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

$0.41 PKR 114

$0.87 ฿29.41

-52.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 PKR 48.34

$0.49 ฿16.65

-65.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 PKR 206

$1.66 ฿55.9

-54.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 PKR 153

$1.46 ฿49.31

-62.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PKR 353

$1.50 ฿50.5

-14.67%

Eggs

$1.18 PKR 327

$2.09 ฿70.5

-43.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.02 PKR 1,388

$19.07 ฿643

-73.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 PKR 816

$3.30 ฿111

-10.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.18 PKR 1,434

$10.91 ฿368

-52.52%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 PKR 275

$2.93 ฿98.9

-66.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.69 ฿57.0

-66.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 PKR 190

$2.25 ฿75.8

-69.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 PKR 152

$2.08 ฿70.0

-73.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.32 PKR 88.7

$1.51 ฿51.0

-78.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 PKR 143

$1.38 ฿46.52

-62.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 PKR 117

$1.07 ฿35.96

-60.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 PKR 110

$0.52 ฿17.51

-23.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.83 PKR 507

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 PKR 332

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 PKR 667

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.04 PKR 563

$4.20 ฿142

-51.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 PKR 37.88

$1.45 ฿48.98

-90.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.01 PKR 2,493

$56.7 ฿1,912

-84.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 PKR 289

$3.02 ฿102

-65.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 PKR 129

$1.02 ฿34.33

-53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 PKR 424

$3.69 ฿125

-58.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 PKR 317

$1.47 ฿49.76

-21.77%

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

$19.9K PKR 5.5M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-25.67%

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

$23.5K PKR 6.5M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-12.10%

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

$100 PKR 27.7K

$96.4 ฿3,251

3.99%

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

$7.95 PKR 2,200

$11.26 ฿380

-29.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.48 PKR 4,561

$16.85 ฿568

-2.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.81 PKR 1,608

$67.2 ฿2,268

-91.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.46 PKR 2,063

$10.73 ฿362

-30.48%

Cinema Ticket

$3.23 PKR 894

$7.50 ฿253

-56.93%

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

$35.14 PKR 9,724

$476 ฿16.1K

-92.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,039 PKR 287.4K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-90.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$8.05 PKR 2,228

$62.4 ฿2,104

-87.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.10 PKR 6,114

$28.41 ฿958

-22.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 PKR 19.0K

$94.3 ฿3,181

-27.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.98 PKR 9,402

$85.8 ฿2,895

-60.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$71.3 PKR 19.7K

$716 ฿24.2K

-90.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.7 PKR 14.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

-89.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 PKR 45.4K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-91.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$101 PKR 27.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-92.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$386 PKR 106.9K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-90.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$222 PKR 61.5K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-92.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$274 PKR 75.8K

$502 ฿16.9K

-45.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

133.39%

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

Last update for Quetta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetta

$125 30.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 0.1% $0.2

Groceries & Markets

Quetta

$90 21.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 194% $176

Eating Out

Quetta

$64 15.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 90.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Quetta

$60 14.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 104% $62

Accommodation & Living

Quetta

$51 12.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 868% $440

Getting Around

Quetta

$13 3.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 446% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Quetta

$12 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 570% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $71 in Quetta and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 83% 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: $11 in Quetta vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $90 vs $266 per month, with Quetta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Quetta

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

2 h ahead of Quetta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,001,205

79,308

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PKR – Pakistani Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇰 Pakistani Rupee (₨)

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 309 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.24 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quetta Phuket 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Quetta
Phuket

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

Quetta vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quetta is about 68% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Quetta. 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: $71 in Quetta versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $35 in Quetta versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 194% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $415 in Quetta versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Quetta but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Quetta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Quetta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.