Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and the Andaman Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in the Andaman Islands: $363 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in the Andaman Islands
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Andaman Islands Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Andaman Islands

🇮🇳 India

$363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in the Andaman Islands

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in the Andaman Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $363 in the Andaman Islands.

Phuket $1,208
Andaman Islands $363

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $567 in the Andaman Islands.

Phuket $2,027
Andaman Islands $567

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $772 in the Andaman Islands.

Phuket $2,845
Andaman Islands $772

Living in Phuket is roughly 233% more expensive than in the Andaman Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Andaman Islands 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.06 ₹195

113.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$6.13 ₹582

426.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$3.69 ₹351

137.40%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.28 ₹122

121.09%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.71 ₹67.2

26.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.20 ₹18.84

135.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.45 ₹137

75.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.84 ₹269

34.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.95 ₹90.1

82.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.46 ₹43.52

219.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.72 ₹68.2

109.72%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.22 ₹116

77.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$4.42 ₹420

345.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.89 ₹275

15.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.98 ₹188

43.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.62 ₹59.3

174.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$0.89 ₹84.5

146.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.45 ₹42.72

355.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.56 ₹53.2

158.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.40 ₹37.59

245.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.47 ₹44.44

127.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.25 ₹23.77

104.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.14 ₹488

-17.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.52 ₹714

147.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.65 ₹157

7.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.60 ₹247

9.62%

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

$5.02 ₹477

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.25 ₹23.51

804.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$7.75 ₹736

185.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.81 ₹76.9

271.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.27 ₹25.67

292.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$1.56 ₹148

147.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.04 ₹98.8

39.42%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$12.5K ₹1.2M

110.17%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$19.3K ₹1.8M

39.71%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$35.05 ₹3,328

174.98%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$3.40 ₹322

224.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$6.41 ₹608

167.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$14.38 ₹1,366

262.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$6.33 ₹601

76.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$2.42 ₹230

222.73%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$47.89 ₹4,547

1060.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$1,409 ₹133.8K

721.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$21.96 ₹2,085

192.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$23.14 ₹2,198

23.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$38.59 ₹3,665

147.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$27.98 ₹2,657

214.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$123 ₹11.7K

498.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$73.4 ₹6,967

530.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$261 ₹24.8K

701.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$172 ₹16.4K

597.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$985 ₹93.6K

253.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$523 ₹49.7K

382.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$282 ₹26.8K

77.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.86

-37.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for the Andaman Islands: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Andaman Islands

$73 20.2% 84.1% $389

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Andaman Islands

$105 28.9% 61% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Andaman Islands

$45 12.4% 64% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Andaman Islands

$50 13.9% 59.6% $74

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Andaman Islands

$59 16.4% 51% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Andaman Islands

$19 5.3% 71.6% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Andaman Islands

$11 3% 72.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $123 in the Andaman Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 77% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $6.00 in the Andaman Islands for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $105 per month, with the Andaman Islands cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Andaman Islands

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

21:10 9:10 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

343,125

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Andaman Islands 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Andaman Islands

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

Phuket vs Andaman Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Andaman Islands is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 233% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 77% higher in Phuket, 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: $737 in Phuket versus $123 in the Andaman Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in the Andaman Islands runs roughly 185% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $47.89 in the Andaman Islands. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $363 in the Andaman Islands versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in the Andaman Islands but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Andaman Islands the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Andaman Islands is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Andaman Islands 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 Andaman Islands gentler on the wallet – expenses run 233% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.