Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chandigarh and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Chandigarh: $488 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Chandigarh
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Chandigarh Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Chandigarh

🇮🇳 India

$488

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Chandigarh versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Chandigarh $488
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $788 in Chandigarh versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Chandigarh $788
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,088 in Chandigarh versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Chandigarh $1,088
Phuket $3,154

Living in Chandigarh costs roughly 62% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chandigarh 64% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.20 ₹304

$4.47 ฿151

-28.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.68 ₹1,299

$32.41 ฿1,093

-57.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.11 ₹390

$8.81 ฿297

-53.35%

Cappuccino

$2.69 ₹256

$2.83 ฿95.4

-4.95%

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

$0.44 ₹41.50

$0.87 ฿29.41

-49.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.78

$0.49 ฿16.65

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₹204

$2.56 ฿86.3

-16.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 ₹301

$3.68 ฿124

-13.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 ₹69.4

$1.66 ฿55.9

-56.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹49.17

$1.46 ฿49.31

-64.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.3

$1.50 ฿50.5

-46.00%

Eggs

$0.91 ₹86.3

$2.09 ฿70.5

-56.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.93 ₹468

$19.07 ฿643

-74.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹270

$3.30 ฿111

-13.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 ₹156

$2.93 ฿98.9

-44.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹70.9

$1.69 ฿57.0

-55.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.06 ₹101

$2.25 ฿75.8

-52.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 ₹63.8

$2.08 ฿70.0

-67.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.54

$1.51 ฿51.0

-81.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.38

$1.38 ฿46.52

-75.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₹63.4

$1.07 ฿35.96

-37.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₹28.25

$0.52 ฿17.51

-42.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.97 ₹472

$4.20 ฿142

18.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.43 ₹1,086

$18.79 ฿634

-39.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₹158

$1.82 ฿61.5

-8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₹266

$2.84 ฿95.8

-1.06%

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

$6.55 ₹622

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.60

$1.45 ฿48.98

-82.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.58 ₹435

$56.7 ฿1,912

-91.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$3.02 ฿102

-64.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.90

$1.02 ฿34.33

-75.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 ₹158

$3.69 ฿125

-55.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹103

$1.47 ฿49.76

-25.85%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-58.14%

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

$25.0K ₹2.4M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-6.38%

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

$38.21 ₹3,628

$96.4 ฿3,251

-60.34%

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

$4.08 ₹388

$11.26 ฿380

-63.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.52 ₹619

$16.85 ฿568

-61.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.72 ₹2,443

$67.2 ฿2,268

-61.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.08 ₹767

$10.73 ฿362

-24.70%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 ₹298

$7.50 ฿253

-58.27%

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

$57.7 ₹5,480

$476 ฿16.1K

-87.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,480 ₹235.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-77.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.87 ₹2,551

$62.4 ฿2,104

-56.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ₹2,398

$28.41 ฿958

-11.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.6 ₹5,469

$94.3 ฿3,181

-38.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.40 ₹4,216

$85.8 ฿2,895

-48.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$171 ₹16.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-76.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 ₹12.1K

$491 ฿16.6K

-74.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₹45.8K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-74.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₹29.3K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-78.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,868 ₹177.4K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-55.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,025 ₹97.4K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-66.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 ₹41.5K

$502 ฿16.9K

-13.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

43.63%

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

Last update for Chandigarh: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chandigarh

$127 26%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 286% $364

Groceries & Markets

Chandigarh

$113 23.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 135% $153

Eating Out

Chandigarh

$90 18.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chandigarh

$69 14.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 75.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chandigarh

$49 10%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 155% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Chandigarh

$32 6.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 157% $50

Getting Around

Chandigarh

$7.9 1.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 792% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $171 in Chandigarh and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 15% 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 in Chandigarh vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $113 vs $266 per month, with Chandigarh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Chandigarh

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Chandigarh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,667

79,308

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chandigarh Phuket 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chandigarh
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

Chandigarh vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chandigarh wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chandigarh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Chandigarh. 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: $171 in Chandigarh versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chandigarh runs roughly 92% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $58 in Chandigarh versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $488 in Chandigarh versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Chandigarh but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Chandigarh 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.

Safety-wise, Chandigarh and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chandigarh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.