Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Indianapolis, IN and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,684 in Indianapolis, IN, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Indianapolis, IN
Learn more

Indianapolis, IN Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Indianapolis, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,684

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,684 in Indianapolis, IN versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Indianapolis, IN $2,684
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,851 in Indianapolis, IN versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Indianapolis, IN $3,851
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,019 in Indianapolis, IN versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Indianapolis, IN $5,019
Phuket $3,154

Living in Indianapolis, IN is roughly 110% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Indianapolis, IN is 97% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.99 $19.99

$4.47 ฿151

347.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 $79.7

$32.41 ฿1,094

145.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 $11.89

$8.81 ฿297

34.96%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$2.83 ฿95.5

99.65%

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

$3.31 $3.31

$0.87 ฿29.43

280.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$0.49 ฿16.67

438.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.18 $6.18

$2.56 ฿86.4

141.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.06 $8.06

$3.68 ฿124

119.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.66 ฿56.0

-48.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.46 ฿49.35

123.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$1.50 ฿50.6

209.33%

Eggs

$3.74 $3.74

$2.09 ฿70.5

78.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.44 $12.44

$19.07 ฿644

-34.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$3.30 ฿111

277.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 $17.35

$10.91 ฿368

59.03%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.93 ฿99.0

90.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.69 ฿57.1

-13.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$2.25 ฿75.8

120.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.08 ฿70.1

102.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.51 ฿51.0

66.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.38 ฿46.56

110.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.07 ฿35.99

127.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.52 ฿17.52

388.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 $11.45

$4.20 ฿142

172.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 $15.56

$18.79 ฿634

-17.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.82 ฿61.5

9.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.84 ฿95.9

26.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.45 ฿49.03

21.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 $60.6

$56.7 ฿1,913

6.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.02 ฿102

-32.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.02 ฿34.36

65.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.96 $33.96

$3.69 ฿125

820.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.47 ฿49.81

-36.73%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

14.81%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-3.65%

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

$234 $234

$96.4 ฿3,254

143.12%

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

$61.2 $61.2

$11.26 ฿380

443.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 $64.5

$16.85 ฿569

282.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.87 $36.87

$67.2 ฿2,270

-45.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.90 $41.90

$10.73 ฿362

290.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.80 $14.80

$7.50 ฿253

97.33%

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

$1,736 $1,736

$476 ฿16.1K

264.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K $24.5K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

117.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$62.4 ฿2,106

-9.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.97 $44.97

$28.41 ฿959

58.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 $112

$94.3 ฿3,184

18.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$85.8 ฿2,898

67.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,651 $1,651

$716 ฿24.2K

130.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 $1,278

$491 ฿16.6K

160.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,666 $2,666

$1,927 ฿65.1K

38.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,909 $1,909

$1,431 ฿48.3K

33.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,768 $2,768

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-33.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,751 $1,751

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-42.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,222 $4,222

$502 ฿17.0K

740.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

5.57

17.95%

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

Last update for Indianapolis, IN: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Indianapolis, IN

$1.3K 47.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 61.6% $787

Groceries & Markets

Indianapolis, IN

$406 15.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 34.4% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Indianapolis, IN

$360 13.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65.4% $235

Eating Out

Indianapolis, IN

$334 12.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 63.6% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Indianapolis, IN

$161 6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 24.1% $39

Getting Around

Indianapolis, IN

$78 2.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 9.7% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Indianapolis, IN

$66 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 23.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,651 in Indianapolis, IN and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Indianapolis, IN pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Indianapolis, IN vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Indianapolis, IN

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

03:33 3:33 AM

11 h ahead of Indianapolis, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

882,039

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 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).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Indianapolis, IN Phuket 14,700 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Indianapolis, IN
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

Indianapolis, IN vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Indianapolis, IN. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Indianapolis, IN is about 8.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,651 in Indianapolis, IN versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $80 in Indianapolis, IN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,684 per month in Indianapolis, IN versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,684 in Indianapolis, IN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Indianapolis, IN. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Indianapolis, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.