Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $557 a month against $775 in Surat Thani, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Bangalore
🇮🇳 India
$557
/mo nomad
Surat Thani
🇹🇭 Thailand
$775
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bangalore and in Surat Thani

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bangalore and in Surat Thani actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $557 in Bangalore versus $775 in Surat Thani.

  • Bangalore $557
  • Surat Thani $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $941 in Bangalore versus $1,414 in Surat Thani.

  • Bangalore $941
  • Surat Thani $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,324 in Bangalore versus $2,053 in Surat Thani.

  • Bangalore $1,324
  • Surat Thani $2,053

Living in Bangalore costs roughly 28% less than in Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 59% lower, Surat Thani 43% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bangalore
Surat Thani
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.13 ₹297
$1.89 ฿63.0
65.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.66 ₹1,677
$17.87 ฿597
-1.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.66 ₹443
$4.51 ฿151
3.33%
Cappuccino
$2.28 ₹217
$1.50 ฿50.2
52.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ₹37.91
$0.50 ฿16.68
-20.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.14 ₹13.62
$0.29 ฿9.66
-51.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.27 ₹216
$2.56 ฿85.4
-11.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.60 ₹342
$3.69 ฿123
-2.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bangalore
Surat Thani
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.66 ₹62.4
$1.66 ฿55.4
-60.24%
White Bread (500g)
$0.59 ₹55.8
$1.19 ฿39.89
-50.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.81 ₹76.5
$1.17 ฿39.13
-30.77%
Eggs
$1.14 ₹109
$1.87 ฿62.4
-39.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.19 ₹588
$19.18 ฿641
-67.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.75 ₹356
$3.33 ฿111
12.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$7.44 ฿249
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.86 ₹272
$2.91 ฿97.2
-1.72%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 ₹69.3
$1.68 ฿56.3
-56.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.20 ₹114
$1.76 ฿58.7
-31.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.42 ₹39.54
$2.05 ฿68.4
-79.51%
Potato (1kg)
$0.39 ₹36.59
$1.30 ฿43.57
-70.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.40 ₹37.84
$1.37 ฿45.90
-70.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.40 ₹37.56
$1.11 ฿37.24
-63.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₹28.09
$0.41 ฿13.66
-26.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.66 ₹442
$3.07 ฿103
51.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.48 ₹900
$18.86 ฿630
-49.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.97 ₹187
$1.54 ฿51.6
27.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 ₹283
$1.82 ฿60.7
63.74%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$6.59 ₹626
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Bangalore
Surat Thani
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 ₹48.66
$1.02 ฿34.00
-50.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$15.69 ₹1,490
$20.95 ฿700
-25.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.06 ₹101
$1.18 ฿39.50
-10.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.30 ₹28.52
$0.63 ฿21.05
-52.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.16 ₹205
$3.49 ฿117
-38.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ₹109
$1.16 ฿38.93
-0.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.3K ₹1.1M
$26.6K ฿890.1K
-57.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.8K ₹1.8M
$27.3K ฿911.7K
-31.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bangalore
Surat Thani
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$30.35 ₹2,882
$72.9 ฿2,437
-58.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.11 ₹390
$11.12 ฿372
-63.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.45 ₹992
$17.32 ฿579
-39.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bangalore
Surat Thani
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$18.89 ₹1,794
$48.24 ฿1,612
-60.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.10 ₹579
$11.52 ฿385
-47.05%
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 ₹461
$4.53 ฿151
7.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bangalore
Surat Thani
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$102 ₹9,687
$549 ฿18.3K
-81.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,978 ₹282.8K
$11.6K ฿386.5K
-74.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bangalore
Surat Thani
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$33.83 ₹3,212
$61.9 ฿2,070
-45.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.70 ₹2,915
$29.16 ฿974
5.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$56.3 ₹5,343
$97.3 ฿3,252
-42.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.05 ₹3,803
$86.5 ฿2,892
-53.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bangalore
Surat Thani
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₹29.4K
$237 ฿7,910
30.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$179 ₹17.0K
$149 ฿4,985
19.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$799 ₹75.9K
$1,150 ฿38.4K
-30.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$481 ₹45.6K
$709 ฿23.7K
-32.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,928 ₹183.0K
$2,226 ฿74.4K
-13.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,076 ₹102.2K
$1,404 ฿46.9K
-23.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bangalore
Surat Thani
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$943 ₹89.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.47
5.57
52.06%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 18, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bangalore
$179
Surat Thani
$149 16.6% $30
Groceries & Markets
Bangalore
$125
Surat Thani
$244 95.3% $119
Eating Out
Bangalore
$87
Surat Thani
$70 19.7% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Bangalore
$72
Surat Thani
$124 70.9% $51
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bangalore
$45
Surat Thani
$101 126% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Bangalore
$29
Surat Thani
$57 100% $29
Getting Around
Bangalore
$20
Surat Thani
$29 44.6% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Bangalore and $237 in Surat Thani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18.00 in Bangalore vs $18.00 in Surat Thani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $125 vs $244 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Bangalore
🇹🇭 Surat Thani
🕒 Local time
04:12 4:12 AM
05:42 5:42 AM
1 h 30 min ahead of Bangalore
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,495,492
132,040
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Bangalore Surat Thani 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bangalore
  • Surat Thani

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
Bangalore vs Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bangalore or Surat Thani?
Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Surat Thani. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bangalore and in Surat Thani?
You'd need roughly $836 in Bangalore and $1,163 in Surat Thani 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bangalore compared to Surat Thani?
Rent for a central apartment: $309 in Bangalore versus $237 in Surat Thani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Bangalore compared to Surat Thani?
A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 34% less than in Surat Thani. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Bangalore and in Surat Thani?
Childcare runs $102 in Bangalore versus $549 in Surat Thani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $800/month in Bangalore or in Surat Thani?
Either city works on $800 a month, though Bangalore gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bangalore or Surat Thani?
Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $557 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.
How safe is Bangalore compared to Surat Thani?
Safety-wise, Bangalore and Surat Thani are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Surat Thani. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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