Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Howrah and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Howrah: $382 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Howrah
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Howrah Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Howrah

🇮🇳 India

$382

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $382 in Howrah versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Howrah $382
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $505 in Howrah versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Howrah $505
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $628 in Howrah versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Howrah $628
Phuket $2,867

Living in Howrah costs roughly 68% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Howrah 72% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₹202

$4.58 ฿153

-53.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.29 ₹882

$32.48 ฿1,086

-71.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.21 ₹400

$8.55 ฿286

-50.76%

Cappuccino

$1.43 ₹136

$2.72 ฿91.0

-47.43%

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

$0.48 ₹46.02

$0.94 ฿31.25

-48.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 ₹11.05

$0.49 ฿16.39

-75.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 ₹151

$2.59 ฿86.6

-38.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ₹307

$3.83 ฿128

-15.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.60 ₹56.6

$1.74 ฿58.1

-65.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 ₹40.82

$1.43 ฿47.82

-69.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 ₹67.0

$1.53 ฿51.0

-53.59%

Eggs

$1.08 ₹103

$2.17 ฿72.7

-50.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.40 ₹512

$19.15 ฿640

-71.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.59 ₹246

$3.30 ฿110

-21.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₹206

$2.95 ฿98.5

-26.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 ₹80.7

$1.68 ฿56.1

-49.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 ₹134

$2.30 ฿76.8

-38.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.62 ₹58.6

$2.13 ฿71.3

-70.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.29

$1.53 ฿51.1

-80.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₹38.93

$1.36 ฿45.55

-69.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 ₹32.55

$1.12 ฿37.44

-69.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 ₹24.53

$0.55 ฿18.24

-52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.88 ₹463

$4.26 ฿142

14.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 ₹1,009

$18.19 ฿608

-41.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₹133

$1.74 ฿58.2

-19.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ₹258

$2.79 ฿93.3

-2.51%

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

$8.58 ₹815

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ₹15.20

$2.22 ฿74.1

-92.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 ₹57.2

$2.91 ฿97.3

-79.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹30.90

$1.01 ฿33.79

-67.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 ₹152

$3.83 ฿128

-58.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.49 ฿49.85

-28.19%

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

$15.6K ₹1.5M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-41.55%

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

$20.0K ₹1.9M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-25.02%

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

$44.85 ₹4,259

$99.4 ฿3,321

-54.87%

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

$3.37 ₹320

$11.28 ฿377

-70.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.41 ₹609

$17.36 ฿580

-63.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.87 ₹1,317

$52.3 ฿1,747

-73.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$3.09 ₹294

$7.57 ฿253

-59.18%

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

$26.25 ₹2,493

$558 ฿18.7K

-95.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,264 ₹120.1K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-88.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.57 ₹2,523

$62.9 ฿2,102

-57.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.65 ₹2,436

$28.58 ฿955

-10.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.19 ₹3,341

$96.1 ฿3,213

-63.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.40 ₹2,697

$88.1 ฿2,943

-67.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$113 ₹10.7K

$729 ฿24.4K

-84.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.7 ₹7,379

$460 ฿15.4K

-83.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$354 ₹33.7K

$493 ฿16.5K

-28.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.04

5.57

62.30%

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

Last update for Howrah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Howrah

$111 29.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 141% $156

Accommodation & Living

Howrah

$78 20.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 492% $382

Eating Out

Howrah

$64 16.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 90.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Howrah

$55 14.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 134% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Howrah

$52 13.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 138% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Howrah

$20 5.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 236% $47

Getting Around

Howrah

$2.9 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 1255% $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 $113 in Howrah and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 39% 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: $9.00 in Howrah vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $111 vs $268 per month, with Howrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Howrah

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:46 2:46 PM

16:16 4:16 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Howrah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,072,161

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 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).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Howrah Phuket 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Howrah
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

Howrah vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howrah wins on cost – living expenses run 216% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Howrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 39% 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: $113 in Howrah versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $26.25 in Howrah versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howrah – a meal for two runs $9.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $382 in Howrah versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Howrah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Howrah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Howrah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $382 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Howrah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Howrah 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 Howrah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 216% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.