Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Andaman Islands and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in the Andaman Islands: $363 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in the Andaman Islands
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Andaman Islands Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Andaman Islands

🇮🇳 India

$363

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $363 in the Andaman Islands versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Andaman Islands $363
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $567 in the Andaman Islands versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Andaman Islands $567
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $772 in the Andaman Islands versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Andaman Islands $772
Phuket $2,845

Living in the Andaman Islands costs roughly 70% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Andaman Islands 73% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ₹195

$4.40 ฿147

-53.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$6.13 ₹582

$32.26 ฿1,078

-81.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.69 ₹351

$8.76 ฿293

-57.88%

Cappuccino

$1.28 ₹122

$2.83 ฿94.5

-54.77%

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

$0.71 ₹67.2

$0.90 ฿30.14

-21.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.84

$0.47 ฿15.56

-57.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ₹137

$2.55 ฿85.2

-43.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₹269

$3.83 ฿128

-25.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 ₹90.1

$1.73 ฿57.7

-45.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 ₹43.52

$1.47 ฿49.11

-68.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ₹68.2

$1.51 ฿50.6

-52.32%

Eggs

$1.22 ₹116

$2.17 ฿72.7

-43.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.42 ₹420

$19.70 ฿658

-77.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.89 ₹275

$3.34 ฿112

-13.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ₹188

$2.85 ฿95.1

-30.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 ₹59.3

$1.70 ฿56.9

-63.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 ₹84.5

$2.19 ฿73.3

-59.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.72

$2.05 ฿68.4

-78.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 ₹53.2

$1.45 ฿48.57

-61.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.59

$1.38 ฿46.16

-71.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.44

$1.07 ฿35.69

-56.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.77

$0.51 ฿16.91

-50.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.14 ₹488

$4.26 ฿142

20.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 ₹714

$18.58 ฿621

-59.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₹157

$1.78 ฿59.7

-7.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 ₹247

$2.85 ฿95.2

-8.77%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.02 ₹477

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.51

$2.26 ฿75.6

-88.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.75 ₹736

$22.10 ฿738

-64.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₹76.9

$3.01 ฿101

-73.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.67

$1.06 ฿35.34

-74.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ₹148

$3.86 ฿129

-59.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ₹98.8

$1.45 ฿48.45

-28.28%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-52.42%

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

$19.3K ₹1.8M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-28.42%

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

$35.05 ₹3,328

$96.4 ฿3,221

-63.63%

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

$3.40 ₹322

$11.04 ฿369

-69.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.41 ₹608

$17.14 ฿573

-62.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.38 ₹1,366

$52.2 ฿1,744

-72.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.33 ₹601

$11.16 ฿373

-43.28%

Cinema Ticket

$2.42 ₹230

$7.81 ฿261

-69.01%

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

$47.89 ₹4,547

$556 ฿18.6K

-91.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,409 ₹133.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-87.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.96 ₹2,085

$64.2 ฿2,146

-65.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.14 ₹2,198

$28.69 ฿959

-19.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.59 ₹3,665

$95.4 ฿3,187

-59.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.98 ₹2,657

$88.0 ฿2,940

-68.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$123 ₹11.7K

$737 ฿24.6K

-83.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$73.4 ₹6,967

$462 ฿15.5K

-84.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 ₹24.8K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-87.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ₹16.4K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-85.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$985 ₹93.6K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-71.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$523 ₹49.7K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-79.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$282 ₹26.8K

$501 ฿16.7K

-43.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.86

5.57

59.07%

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

Last update for the Andaman Islands: 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

Andaman Islands

$105 28.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 156% $164

Accommodation & Living

Andaman Islands

$73 20.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 530% $389

Eating Out

Andaman Islands

$59 16.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 104% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Andaman Islands

$50 13.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 147% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Andaman Islands

$45 12.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 178% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Andaman Islands

$19 5.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 253% $49

Getting Around

Andaman Islands

$11 3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 262% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $123 in the Andaman Islands and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 77% 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: $6.00 in the Andaman Islands vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $105 vs $269 per month, with the Andaman Islands cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Andaman Islands

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

21:54 9:54 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of the Andaman Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

343,125

79,308

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 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 INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Andaman Islands Phuket 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Andaman Islands
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

Andaman Islands vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Andaman Islands is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 233% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 77% 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: $123 in the Andaman Islands versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in the Andaman Islands runs roughly 185% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $47.89 in the Andaman Islands versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $363 in the Andaman Islands versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in the Andaman Islands but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Andaman Islands the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Andaman Islands 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, Andaman Islands 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 Andaman Islands gentler on the wallet – expenses run 233% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.