Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rawalpindi and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawalpindi: $491 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Rawalpindi
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Rawalpindi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Rawalpindi

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$491

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rawalpindi 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 Rawalpindi and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $491 in Rawalpindi versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Rawalpindi $491
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $776 in Rawalpindi versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Rawalpindi $776
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,060 in Rawalpindi versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Rawalpindi $1,060
Phuket $2,822

Living in Rawalpindi costs roughly 59% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Rawalpindi 63% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.03 PKR 561

$4.35 ฿146

-53.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.03 PKR 4,436

$32.45 ฿1,087

-50.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 PKR 1,612

$8.42 ฿282

-30.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 PKR 511

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 PKR 927

Cappuccino

$1.95 PKR 539

$2.81 ฿94.0

-30.60%

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

$0.44 PKR 121

$0.87 ฿29.29

-49.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 PKR 69.6

$0.46 ฿15.39

-45.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 PKR 233

$1.71 ฿57.2

-50.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 PKR 155

$1.45 ฿48.42

-61.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 343

$1.56 ฿52.3

-20.51%

Eggs

$1.14 PKR 316

$2.10 ฿70.3

-45.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 PKR 1,765

$19.53 ฿654

-67.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.53 PKR 977

$3.40 ฿114

3.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.95 PKR 1,370

$11.14 ฿373

-55.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.16 PKR 320

$2.83 ฿94.8

-59.01%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 PKR 242

$1.62 ฿54.3

-46.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 343

$2.22 ฿74.5

-44.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 PKR 149

$2.15 ฿71.9

-74.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 PKR 105

$1.49 ฿49.95

-74.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 PKR 127

$1.33 ฿44.40

-65.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 PKR 92.7

$1.07 ฿35.72

-69.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 PKR 108

$0.51 ฿17.01

-23.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$16.10 PKR 4,457

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 PKR 334

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 PKR 670

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 PKR 562

$4.38 ฿147

-53.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 PKR 55.7

$2.17 ฿72.6

-90.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.05 PKR 2,781

$22.28 ฿746

-54.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 PKR 259

$3.02 ฿101

-68.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 PKR 104

$1.06 ฿35.43

-65.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 PKR 870

$3.71 ฿124

-15.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 PKR 329

$1.43 ฿47.88

-16.78%

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

$18.9K PKR 5.2M

$26.3K ฿882.1K

-28.28%

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

$24.3K PKR 6.7M

$26.2K ฿877.3K

-7.44%

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

$111 PKR 30.7K

$96.7 ฿3,236

14.89%

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

$5.70 PKR 1,577

$11.41 ฿382

-50.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.42 PKR 5,097

$17.11 ฿573

7.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.76 PKR 3,256

$52.8 ฿1,768

-77.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.27 PKR 2,012

$11.07 ฿371

-34.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 PKR 1,219

$7.65 ฿256

-42.48%

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

$48.86 PKR 13.5K

$555 ฿18.6K

-91.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,033 PKR 285.8K

$11.3K ฿377.7K

-90.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.34 PKR 4,798

$63.4 ฿2,123

-72.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.45 PKR 8,981

$28.61 ฿958

13.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 PKR 25.3K

$96.7 ฿3,238

-5.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.83 PKR 10.2K

$88.6 ฿2,967

-58.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 PKR 54.7K

$735 ฿24.6K

-73.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

$458 ฿15.3K

-82.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 PKR 113.4K

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-80.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 PKR 63.8K

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-80.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,196 PKR 331.1K

$3,493 ฿116.9K

-65.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$454 PKR 125.6K

$2,491 ฿83.4K

-81.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$177 PKR 49.0K

$501 ฿16.8K

-64.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.81

5.57

309.52%

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

Last update for Rawalpindi: October 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rawalpindi

$135 27.4%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 7.4% $10

Groceries & Markets

Rawalpindi

$102 20.7%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 163% $166

Accommodation & Living

Rawalpindi

$82 16.7%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 457% $376

Clothing & Footwear

Rawalpindi

$80 16.2%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 55.7% $45

Eating Out

Rawalpindi

$60 12.1%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 99.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Rawalpindi

$21 4.2%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 231% $48

Getting Around

Rawalpindi

$14 2.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 187% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $197 in Rawalpindi and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 183% 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: $16.00 in Rawalpindi vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $102 vs $268 per month, with Rawalpindi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Rawalpindi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

2 h ahead of Rawalpindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,098,231

79,308

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rawalpindi Phuket 3,860 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Rawalpindi
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

Rawalpindi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rawalpindi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 142% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 183% 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: $197 in Rawalpindi versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $48.86 in Rawalpindi versus $555 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 163% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $491 in Rawalpindi versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Rawalpindi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rawalpindi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rawalpindi 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, Rawalpindi and Phuket 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 Rawalpindi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 142% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.