Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surinam and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
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Surinam Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $626 in Surinam versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Surinam $626
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,049 in Surinam versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Surinam $1,049
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,472 in Surinam versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Surinam $1,472
Phuket $2,845

Living in Surinam costs roughly 48% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Surinam 54% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.96 MUR 280

$4.40 ฿147

35.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.18 MUR 1,797

$32.26 ฿1,078

18.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 MUR 355

$8.76 ฿293

-13.93%

Cappuccino

$2.70 MUR 127

$2.83 ฿94.5

-4.59%

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

$1.18 MUR 55.3

$0.90 ฿30.14

31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MUR 31.99

$0.47 ฿15.56

44.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MUR 126

$2.55 ฿85.2

5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 MUR 218

$3.83 ฿128

20.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MUR 75.6

$1.73 ฿57.7

-6.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 MUR 33.80

$1.47 ฿49.11

-51.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.8

$1.51 ฿50.6

-27.15%

Eggs

$2.65 MUR 125

$2.17 ฿72.7

22.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.31 MUR 250

$19.70 ฿658

-73.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 MUR 291

$3.34 ฿112

85.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 MUR 520

$11.16 ฿373

-0.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 MUR 132

$2.85 ฿95.1

-1.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 MUR 125

$1.70 ฿56.9

56.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 MUR 68.3

$2.19 ฿73.3

-33.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 MUR 140

$2.05 ฿68.4

45.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 MUR 43.58

$1.45 ฿48.57

-35.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 MUR 45.08

$1.38 ฿46.16

-30.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 MUR 34.57

$1.07 ฿35.69

-31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 MUR 41.98

$0.51 ฿16.91

74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 MUR 298

$4.26 ฿142

48.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 MUR 405

$18.58 ฿621

-53.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MUR 78.3

$1.78 ฿59.7

-6.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 MUR 112

$2.85 ฿95.2

-16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 MUR 192

$3.01 ฿101

35.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 MUR 151

$1.06 ฿35.34

203.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.97 MUR 987

$3.86 ฿129

443.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 MUR 65.2

$1.45 ฿48.45

-4.14%

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

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

40.38%

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

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

13.00%

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

$44.93 MUR 2,115

$96.4 ฿3,221

-53.38%

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

$10.67 MUR 502

$11.04 ฿369

-3.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 MUR 1,346

$17.14 ฿573

66.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 MUR 301

$7.81 ฿261

-18.18%

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

$124 MUR 5,826

$556 ฿18.6K

-77.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-34.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 MUR 3,702

$64.2 ฿2,146

22.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.1 MUR 3,533

$28.69 ฿959

161.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 MUR 5,633

$95.4 ฿3,187

25.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 MUR 3,678

$88.0 ฿2,940

-11.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Surinam: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surinam

$217 34.8%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 23.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Surinam

$158 25.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 21.4% $34

Eating Out

Surinam

$133 21.2%

Phuket

$121 10% 8.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surinam

$84 13.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 47.9% $40

Getting Around

Surinam

$20 * 3.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 95.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Surinam

$13 * 2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 430% $55

Accommodation & Living

Surinam

- * 0%

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $38.00 in Surinam vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $218 vs $269, with Surinam cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Surinam

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

10:39 10:39 AM

3 h ahead of Surinam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,500

79,308

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surinam Phuket 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Surinam
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

Surinam vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surinam is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $938 in Surinam and $1,813 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.

Childcare runs $124 in Surinam versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surinam – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $626 in Surinam versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surinam but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Surinam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Surinam 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, Surinam 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 Surinam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.