Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manipal and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Manipal: $362 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Manipal
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Manipal Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Manipal

🇮🇳 India

$362

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $362 per month in Manipal vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Manipal $362
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $551 per month in Manipal vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Manipal $551
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $740 per month in Manipal vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Manipal $740
Phuket $3,154

Manipal is about 72% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Manipal and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Manipal 73% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.61 ₹153

$4.47 ฿151

-63.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.76 ₹832

$32.41 ฿1,093

-72.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.56 ₹243

$8.81 ฿297

-70.94%

Cappuccino

$1.38 ₹131

$2.83 ฿95.4

-51.24%

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

$0.33 ₹31.59

$0.87 ฿29.41

-62.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹12.56

$0.49 ฿16.65

-73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 ₹132

$2.56 ฿86.3

-45.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₹170

$3.68 ฿124

-51.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.46 ₹43.62

$1.66 ฿55.9

-72.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₹42.92

$1.46 ฿49.31

-69.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.41 ₹39.38

$1.50 ฿50.5

-72.67%

Eggs

$0.80 ₹75.6

$2.09 ฿70.5

-61.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.12 ₹202

$19.07 ฿643

-88.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.34 ₹222

$3.30 ฿111

-29.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 ₹108

$2.93 ฿98.9

-61.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.61 ₹57.8

$1.69 ฿57.0

-63.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ₹76.7

$2.25 ฿75.8

-64.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 ₹47.42

$2.08 ฿70.0

-75.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.53

$1.51 ฿51.0

-75.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₹36.83

$1.38 ฿46.52

-71.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.11 ₹10.62

$1.07 ฿35.96

-89.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₹23.63

$0.52 ฿17.51

-51.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 ₹408

$4.20 ฿142

2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.39 ₹512

$18.79 ฿634

-71.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₹71.7

$1.82 ฿61.5

-58.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₹207

$2.84 ฿95.8

-23.24%

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

$3.19 ₹303

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹20.92

$1.45 ฿48.98

-84.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₹76.8

$3.02 ฿102

-73.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.12 ₹11.01

$1.02 ฿34.33

-88.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.07 ₹197

$3.69 ฿125

-43.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹99.6

$1.47 ฿49.76

-28.57%

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

$10.4K ₹982.8K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-61.35%

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

$20.0K ₹1.9M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-24.93%

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

$55.8 ₹5,294

$96.4 ฿3,251

-42.13%

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

$2.97 ₹282

$11.26 ฿380

-73.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.94 ₹564

$16.85 ฿568

-64.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.44 ₹1,751

$67.2 ฿2,268

-72.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$1.63 ₹154

$7.50 ฿253

-78.27%

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

$20.91 ₹1,986

$476 ฿16.1K

-95.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$500 ₹47.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-95.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.80 ₹1,215

$62.4 ฿2,104

-79.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.08 ₹2,666

$28.41 ฿958

-1.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$21.07 ₹2,001

$94.3 ฿3,181

-77.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.45 ₹2,511

$85.8 ฿2,895

-69.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 ₹14.4K

$716 ฿24.2K

-78.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 ₹10.7K

$491 ฿16.6K

-77.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$382 ₹36.3K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-80.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ₹22.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-83.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$704 ₹66.8K

$502 ฿16.9K

40.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.37

5.57

68.22%

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

Last update for Manipal: 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

Manipal

$112 31.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 337% $379

Groceries & Markets

Manipal

$71 19.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 273% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manipal

$65 17.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 92.5% $60

Eating Out

Manipal

$49 13.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 146% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Manipal

$40 11%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 206% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Manipal

$22 6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 279% $61

Getting Around

Manipal

$2.3 * 0.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 3009% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $152 in Manipal versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 40% higher in Manipal, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9 in Manipal versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $71 vs $266 – making Manipal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Manipal

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

05:14 5:14 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Manipal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,370

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

Manipal Phuket 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Manipal
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

Manipal vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 254%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $542 per month in Manipal and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manipal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $152 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $362 in Manipal and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Manipal about 72% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $21 per month in Manipal and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Manipal, where all-in costs run around $362, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Manipal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Manipal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.