Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semarang and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $593 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$593

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $593 in Semarang versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Semarang $593
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $938 in Semarang versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Semarang $938
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,282 in Semarang versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Semarang $1,282
Phuket $3,154

Living in Semarang costs roughly 54% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Semarang 56% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$4.47 ฿151

-70.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.53 Rp 191.3K

$32.41 ฿1,094

-67.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.04 Rp 55.3K

$8.81 ฿297

-65.49%

Cappuccino

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

$2.83 ฿95.5

-54.77%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,808

$0.87 ฿29.43

-50.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 Rp 2,847

$0.49 ฿16.67

-67.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$2.56 ฿86.4

-35.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 Rp 59.1K

$3.68 ฿124

-11.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

$1.66 ฿56.0

-36.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

$1.46 ฿49.35

-36.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

$1.50 ฿50.6

-47.33%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$2.09 ฿70.5

-43.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 70.2K

$19.07 ฿644

-79.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 42.4K

$3.30 ฿111

-29.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 Rp 137.3K

$10.91 ฿368

-30.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.7K

$2.93 ฿99.0

-33.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$1.69 ฿57.1

-24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.8K

$2.25 ฿75.8

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$2.08 ฿70.1

-29.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$1.51 ฿51.0

-15.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

$1.38 ฿46.56

36.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 Rp 17.0K

$1.07 ฿35.99

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,359

$0.52 ฿17.52

-23.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.87 Rp 34.1K

$4.20 ฿142

-55.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.05 Rp 455.2K

$18.79 ฿634

33.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$1.82 ฿61.5

-9.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$2.84 ฿95.9

-31.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,816

$1.45 ฿49.03

-85.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.93 Rp 253.1K

$56.7 ฿1,913

-75.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,128

$3.02 ฿102

-83.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 Rp 5,331

$1.02 ฿34.36

-71.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 Rp 48.8K

$3.69 ฿125

-27.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

$1.47 ฿49.81

-47.62%

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

$24.5K Rp 446.0M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-8.36%

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

$32.2K Rp 585.5M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

20.69%

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

$86.1 Rp 1.6M

$96.4 ฿3,254

-10.61%

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

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$11.26 ฿380

-76.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.96 Rp 344.7K

$16.85 ฿569

12.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.30 Rp 368.9K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-69.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.49 Rp 81.5K

$10.73 ฿362

-58.15%

Cinema Ticket

$2.25 Rp 40.9K

$7.50 ฿253

-70.00%

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

$49.33 Rp 896.6K

$476 ฿16.1K

-89.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,076 Rp 37.7M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-81.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.61 Rp 629.1K

$62.4 ฿2,106

-44.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 Rp 532.7K

$28.41 ฿959

3.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

$94.3 ฿3,184

-40.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.07 Rp 691.9K

$85.8 ฿2,898

-55.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 Rp 4.1M

$716 ฿24.2K

-68.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 Rp 2.5M

$491 ฿16.6K

-72.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 Rp 8.7M

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-75.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 Rp 6.9M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-73.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,223 Rp 22.2M

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-70.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$833 Rp 15.1M

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-72.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$186 Rp 3.4M

$502 ฿17.0K

-63.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.82

5.57

58.35%

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

Last update for Semarang: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Semarang

$184 31%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 44.8% $82

Accommodation & Living

Semarang

$136 23%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 260% $355

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semarang

$108 18.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 15.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Semarang

$71 12%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 71% $51

Eating Out

Semarang

$52 8.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 133% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Semarang

$25 4.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 232% $57

Getting Around

Semarang

$17 2.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 322% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $226 in Semarang and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $11 in Semarang vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $266 per month, with Semarang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Semarang

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

Same time as Semarang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,555,984

79,308

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Semarang Phuket 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Semarang
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

Semarang vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Semarang is about 54% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Semarang. 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: $226 in Semarang versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $49 in Semarang 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 45% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $593 in Semarang versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Semarang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Semarang 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 Semarang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.