Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sahiwal and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sahiwal: $498 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Sahiwal
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Sahiwal Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sahiwal

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$498

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $498 in Sahiwal versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sahiwal $498
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $755 in Sahiwal versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sahiwal $755
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,013 in Sahiwal versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sahiwal $1,013
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sahiwal costs roughly 61% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sahiwal 63% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.57 PKR 711

$4.47 ฿151

-42.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.34 PKR 3,963

$32.41 ฿1,092

-55.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 PKR 1,568

$8.81 ฿297

-35.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 PKR 989

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 PKR 1,483

Cappuccino

$2.62 PKR 724

$2.83 ฿95.3

-7.42%

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

$0.37 PKR 103

$0.87 ฿29.37

-57.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 PKR 72.1

$0.49 ฿16.64

-46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 PKR 268

$1.66 ฿55.9

-41.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 PKR 201

$1.46 ฿49.25

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 PKR 342

$1.50 ฿50.4

-17.33%

Eggs

$1.20 PKR 332

$2.09 ฿70.4

-42.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 PKR 1,768

$19.07 ฿642

-66.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.49 PKR 688

$3.30 ฿111

-24.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.97 PKR 1,375

$10.91 ฿368

-54.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.18 PKR 326

$2.93 ฿98.7

-59.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 PKR 192

$1.69 ฿56.9

-58.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 PKR 230

$2.25 ฿75.7

-63.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 PKR 165

$2.08 ฿70.0

-71.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 PKR 86.1

$1.51 ฿50.9

-79.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 PKR 99.5

$1.38 ฿46.47

-73.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 PKR 131

$1.07 ฿35.91

-55.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 PKR 96.2

$0.52 ฿17.49

-32.69%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.07 PKR 295

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 PKR 166

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 PKR 476

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.13 PKR 588

$4.20 ฿142

-49.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 PKR 50.8

$1.45 ฿48.93

-87.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.05 PKR 3,056

$56.7 ฿1,909

-80.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 PKR 242

$3.02 ฿102

-70.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 PKR 204

$1.02 ฿34.29

-27.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 PKR 506

$3.69 ฿124

-50.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 PKR 371

$1.47 ฿49.70

-8.84%

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

$17.9K PKR 5.0M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-33.04%

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

$23.7K PKR 6.6M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-11.03%

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

$125 PKR 34.6K

$96.4 ฿3,247

29.82%

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

$5.74 PKR 1,587

$11.26 ฿380

-49.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.23 PKR 4,487

$16.85 ฿568

-3.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.76 PKR 3,527

$67.2 ฿2,266

-81.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.53 PKR 2,083

$10.73 ฿361

-29.82%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 PKR 1,217

$7.50 ฿253

-41.33%

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

$75.0 PKR 20.7K

$476 ฿16.0K

-84.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,068 PKR 571.7K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-81.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.74 PKR 4,904

$62.4 ฿2,102

-71.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.98 PKR 7,735

$28.41 ฿957

-1.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 PKR 20.1K

$94.3 ฿3,178

-23.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.21 PKR 8,906

$85.8 ฿2,892

-62.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 PKR 34.6K

$716 ฿24.1K

-82.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.5 PKR 21.1K

$491 ฿16.5K

-84.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 PKR 84.9K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-84.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 PKR 49.0K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-87.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$696 PKR 192.5K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-83.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$471 PKR 130.1K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-84.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.05

5.57

152.24%

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

Last update for Sahiwal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sahiwal

$147 29.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 15.4% $23

Groceries & Markets

Sahiwal

$97 19.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 173% $169

Accommodation & Living

Sahiwal

$77 15.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 542% $414

Eating Out

Sahiwal

$72 14.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 70.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Sahiwal

$68 13.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 80% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Sahiwal

$22 4.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 281% $61

Getting Around

Sahiwal

$16 3.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 331% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $125 in Sahiwal and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14 in Sahiwal vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $97 vs $266 per month, with Sahiwal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇰 Sahiwal

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

11:02 11:02 AM

2 h ahead of Sahiwal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

389,605

79,308

💱 Currency

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to PKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sahiwal Phuket 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sahiwal
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

Sahiwal vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sahiwal is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $747 in Sahiwal and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $125 in Sahiwal versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $75 in Sahiwal 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 173% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $498 in Sahiwal versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sahiwal but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sahiwal 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 Sahiwal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.