Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imphal and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Imphal: $353 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Imphal
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Imphal Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Imphal

🇮🇳 India

$353

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $353 in Imphal versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Imphal $353
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $576 in Imphal versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Imphal $576
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $800 in Imphal versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Imphal $800
Phuket $3,154

Living in Imphal costs roughly 72% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Imphal 74% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.16 ₹206

$4.47 ฿151

-51.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.50 ₹809

$32.41 ฿1,094

-73.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.41 ₹420

$8.81 ฿297

-49.94%

Cappuccino

$0.75 ₹71.4

$2.83 ฿95.5

-73.50%

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

$0.43 ₹40.79

$0.87 ฿29.43

-50.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ₹16.78

$0.49 ฿16.67

-63.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ₹102

$2.56 ฿86.4

-58.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₹271

$3.68 ฿124

-22.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 ₹72.4

$1.66 ฿56.0

-54.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₹76.2

$1.46 ฿49.35

-45.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.43 ₹41.27

$1.50 ฿50.6

-71.33%

Eggs

$1.22 ₹116

$2.09 ฿70.5

-41.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.65 ₹443

$19.07 ฿644

-75.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.71 ₹258

$3.30 ฿111

-17.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 ₹247

$2.93 ฿99.0

-11.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 ₹61.1

$1.69 ฿57.1

-62.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ₹87.9

$2.25 ฿75.8

-59.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 ₹57.2

$2.08 ฿70.1

-71.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.96

$1.51 ฿51.0

-74.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.81

$1.38 ฿46.56

-72.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 ₹46.36

$1.07 ฿35.99

-54.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₹21.88

$0.52 ฿17.52

-55.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹483

$4.20 ฿142

20.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 ₹1,086

$18.79 ฿634

-39.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₹138

$1.82 ฿61.5

-20.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₹138

$2.84 ฿95.9

-48.94%

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

$5.18 ₹493

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ₹31.60

$1.45 ฿49.03

-77.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.37 ₹702

$56.7 ฿1,913

-86.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.8

$3.02 ฿102

-65.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹31.85

$1.02 ฿34.36

-67.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 ₹143

$3.69 ฿125

-59.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ₹109

$1.47 ฿49.81

-21.77%

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

$10.2K ₹967.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-62.07%

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

$17.0K ₹1.6M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-36.37%

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

$67.1 ₹6,393

$96.4 ฿3,254

-30.32%

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

$3.12 ₹297

$11.26 ฿380

-72.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.91 ₹467

$16.85 ฿569

-70.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.36 ₹511

$67.2 ฿2,270

-92.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.55 ₹147

$10.73 ฿362

-85.55%

Cinema Ticket

$2.70 ₹257

$7.50 ฿253

-64.00%

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

$14.50 ₹1,381

$476 ฿16.1K

-96.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,439 ₹137.0K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-87.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.78 ₹1,979

$62.4 ฿2,106

-66.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.08 ₹2,007

$28.41 ฿959

-25.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$31.70 ₹3,018

$94.3 ฿3,184

-66.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.93 ₹2,945

$85.8 ฿2,898

-63.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$91.1 ₹8,671

$716 ฿24.2K

-87.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$42.51 ₹4,048

$491 ฿16.6K

-91.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₹23.6K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-87.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 ₹17.5K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-87.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$423 ₹40.3K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-89.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$253 ₹24.1K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-91.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$186 ₹17.7K

$502 ฿17.0K

-63.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.35

5.57

157.63%

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

Last update for Imphal: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Imphal

$113 32%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 136% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imphal

$75 21.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65.6% $49

Eating Out

Imphal

$53 15%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 130% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Imphal

$47 13.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 159% $75

Accommodation & Living

Imphal

$43 12.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 1055% $448

Getting Around

Imphal

$11 3.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 519% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Imphal

$11 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 664% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $91 in Imphal and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.7 times 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: $8 in Imphal vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $113 vs $266 per month, with Imphal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Imphal

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Imphal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Imphal Phuket 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Imphal
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

Imphal vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $353 in Imphal and $1,278 in Phuket, so Imphal is about 72% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Imphal. 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: $91 in Imphal versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 136% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imphal – a meal for two runs $8 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $353 in Imphal versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Imphal but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Imphal 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 Imphal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.