Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tanjung Pinang and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanjung Pinang: $639 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Tanjung Pinang
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Tanjung Pinang Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tanjung Pinang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$639

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $639 in Tanjung Pinang versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Tanjung Pinang $639
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $987 in Tanjung Pinang versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Tanjung Pinang $987
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,335 in Tanjung Pinang versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Tanjung Pinang $1,335
Phuket $2,845

Living in Tanjung Pinang costs roughly 47% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tanjung Pinang 53% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.42 Rp 61.5K

$4.40 ฿147

-22.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.81 Rp 248.6K

$32.26 ฿1,078

-57.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.52 Rp 63.3K

$8.76 ฿293

-59.82%

Cappuccino

$1.65 Rp 29.7K

$2.83 ฿94.5

-41.70%

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

$0.40 Rp 7,163

$0.90 ฿30.14

-55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,530

$0.47 ฿15.56

-46.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 Rp 43.6K

$2.55 ฿85.2

-5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 Rp 61.1K

$3.83 ฿128

-11.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 Rp 21.1K

$1.73 ฿57.7

-32.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 Rp 19.6K

$1.47 ฿49.11

-25.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

$1.51 ฿50.6

-45.03%

Eggs

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

$2.17 ฿72.7

-34.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.56 Rp 136.0K

$19.70 ฿658

-61.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.83 Rp 51.0K

$3.34 ฿112

-15.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 133.1K

$11.16 ฿373

-33.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 Rp 36.8K

$2.85 ฿95.1

-28.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$1.70 ฿56.9

-27.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 Rp 33.5K

$2.19 ฿73.3

-15.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

$2.05 ฿68.4

-37.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 20.9K

$1.45 ฿48.57

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 Rp 32.0K

$1.38 ฿46.16

28.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

$1.07 ฿35.69

-28.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,277

$0.51 ฿16.91

-21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 Rp 48.3K

$4.26 ฿142

-37.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.87 Rp 375.7K

$18.58 ฿621

12.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$1.78 ฿59.7

-1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 Rp 60.6K

$2.85 ฿95.2

17.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 Rp 5,028

$2.26 ฿75.6

-87.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.54 Rp 9,797

$3.01 ฿101

-82.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 Rp 6,649

$1.06 ฿35.34

-65.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 Rp 49.2K

$3.86 ฿129

-29.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.63 Rp 11.4K

$1.45 ฿48.45

-56.55%

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

$25.1K Rp 451.9M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-4.65%

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

$35.7K Rp 642.7M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

32.51%

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

$65.9 Rp 1.2M

$96.4 ฿3,221

-31.59%

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

$4.46 Rp 80.3K

$11.04 ฿369

-59.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.46 Rp 350.3K

$17.14 ฿573

13.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.32 Rp 347.8K

$52.2 ฿1,744

-62.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.96 Rp 143.3K

$11.16 ฿373

-28.67%

Cinema Ticket

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

$7.81 ฿261

-65.43%

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

$91.3 Rp 1.6M

$556 ฿18.6K

-83.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,140 Rp 128.5M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-38.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.61 Rp 821.0K

$64.2 ฿2,146

-28.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.21 Rp 471.7K

$28.69 ฿959

-8.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

$95.4 ฿3,187

-19.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.2 Rp 1.2M

$88.0 ฿2,940

-27.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 Rp 4.5M

$737 ฿24.6K

-65.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 Rp 2.7M

$462 ฿15.5K

-67.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 Rp 10.4M

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-72.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 Rp 5.6M

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-73.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,270 Rp 22.9M

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-63.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$901 Rp 16.2M

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-64.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$198 Rp 3.6M

$501 ฿16.7K

-60.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

5.57

69.84%

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

Last update for Tanjung Pinang: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tanjung Pinang

$194 30.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 38.3% $74

Accommodation & Living

Tanjung Pinang

$152 23.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 205% $311

Clothing & Footwear

Tanjung Pinang

$96 15%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 29.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tanjung Pinang

$90 14.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 38.6% $35

Eating Out

Tanjung Pinang

$79 12.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 53% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Tanjung Pinang

$25 3.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 174% $43

Getting Around

Tanjung Pinang

$3.5 * 0.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 1024% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $252 in Tanjung Pinang and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 153% 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: $14.00 in Tanjung Pinang vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $269 per month, with Tanjung Pinang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Tanjung Pinang

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

Same time as Tanjung Pinang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

239,854

79,308

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tanjung Pinang Phuket 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Tanjung Pinang
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

Tanjung Pinang vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tanjung Pinang is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 153% 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: $252 in Tanjung Pinang versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $91.3 in Tanjung Pinang 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 Tanjung Pinang – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $639 in Tanjung Pinang versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tanjung Pinang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tanjung Pinang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tanjung Pinang 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, Tanjung Pinang 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 Tanjung Pinang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.