Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dharwad and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Dharwad: $372 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Dharwad
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Dharwad Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Dharwad

🇮🇳 India

$372

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $372 in Dharwad versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Dharwad $372
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $577 in Dharwad versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Dharwad $577
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $781 in Dharwad versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Dharwad $781
Phuket $3,154

Living in Dharwad costs roughly 71% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dharwad 73% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.43 ₹325

$4.47 ฿151

-23.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.45 ₹707

$32.41 ฿1,093

-77.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.71 ₹352

$8.81 ฿297

-57.89%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ₹151

$2.83 ฿95.4

-43.82%

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

$0.41 ₹38.66

$0.87 ฿29.41

-52.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 ₹13.09

$0.49 ฿16.65

-71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 ₹148

$2.56 ฿86.3

-39.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 ₹286

$3.68 ฿124

-18.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 ₹63.8

$1.66 ฿55.9

-59.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 ₹43.44

$1.46 ฿49.31

-68.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.3

$1.50 ฿50.5

-56.67%

Eggs

$0.85 ₹80.8

$2.09 ฿70.5

-59.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.02 ₹382

$19.07 ฿643

-78.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.88 ₹273

$3.30 ฿111

-12.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 ₹182

$2.93 ฿98.9

-34.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 ₹63.3

$1.69 ฿57.0

-60.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 ₹90.2

$2.25 ฿75.8

-57.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 ₹42.76

$2.08 ฿70.0

-78.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹33.84

$1.51 ฿51.0

-76.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.52

$1.38 ฿46.52

-73.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 ₹38.37

$1.07 ฿35.96

-62.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.53

$0.52 ฿17.51

-44.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.51 ₹523

$4.20 ฿142

31.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.26 ₹594

$18.79 ฿634

-66.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₹151

$1.82 ฿61.5

-12.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ₹284

$2.84 ฿95.8

5.28%

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

$4.27 ₹405

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₹21.86

$1.45 ฿48.98

-84.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.08 ₹672

$56.7 ฿1,912

-87.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 ₹81.6

$3.02 ฿102

-71.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹24.21

$1.02 ฿34.33

-75.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ₹154

$3.69 ฿125

-56.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₹107

$1.47 ฿49.76

-23.13%

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

$12.1K ₹1.1M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-54.85%

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

$21.7K ₹2.1M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-18.88%

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

$34.58 ₹3,283

$96.4 ฿3,251

-64.11%

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

$3.12 ₹297

$11.26 ฿380

-72.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.82 ₹552

$16.85 ฿568

-65.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.37 ₹1,364

$67.2 ฿2,268

-78.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.67 ₹538

$10.73 ฿362

-47.16%

Cinema Ticket

$2.98 ₹283

$7.50 ฿253

-60.27%

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

$46.87 ₹4,450

$476 ฿16.1K

-90.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,442 ₹136.9K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-87.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.92 ₹1,892

$62.4 ฿2,104

-68.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.08 ₹2,476

$28.41 ฿958

-8.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.85 ₹3,594

$94.3 ฿3,181

-59.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.95 ₹2,654

$85.8 ฿2,895

-67.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$121 ₹11.5K

$716 ฿24.2K

-83.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.8 ₹7,387

$491 ฿16.6K

-84.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ₹25.2K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-86.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ₹15.4K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-88.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$967 ₹91.8K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-76.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$538 ₹51.1K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-82.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 Dharwad: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dharwad

$97 26%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 175% $169

Accommodation & Living

Dharwad

$78 20.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 531% $413

Eating Out

Dharwad

$74 19.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 65.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Dharwad

$50 13.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 142% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dharwad

$44 11.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 186% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Dharwad

$20 5.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 305% $62

Getting Around

Dharwad

$10 2.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 597% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $121 in Dharwad and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $7 in Dharwad vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $97 vs $266 per month, with Dharwad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Dharwad

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

03:11 3:11 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dharwad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

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

Dharwad Phuket 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dharwad
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

Dharwad vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $372 in Dharwad and $1,278 in Phuket, so Dharwad is about 71% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $559 in Dharwad and $1,917 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $121 in Dharwad versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $372 per month in Dharwad versus $1,278 in Phuket – Dharwad is about 71% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Dharwad runs roughly 88% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $372 in Dharwad versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dharwad but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Dharwad 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.

Expats usually find Dharwad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.