Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Balaghat

For one person, living is cheaper in Balaghat: $352 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Balaghat
Learn more

Balaghat Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Balaghat

🇮🇳 India

$352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Balaghat

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 Balaghat actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $352 in Balaghat, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Balaghat $352

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $558 in Balaghat, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Balaghat $558

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $763 in Balaghat, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Balaghat $763

Phuket costs about 243% more than Balaghat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Balaghat are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Balaghat 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.27 ₹216

101.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$10.67 ₹1,013

204.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$3.88 ₹369

120.36%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.51 ₹143

80.13%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.42 ₹40.36

123.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.13 ₹11.98

276.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.77 ₹168

46.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.79 ₹265

37.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.62 ₹59.1

180.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.44 ₹41.51

225.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.65 ₹61.5

135.38%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$0.91 ₹86.6

138.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$4.45 ₹423

330.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.75 ₹261

20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.83 ₹174

61.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.64 ₹60.5

162.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$0.94 ₹89.2

144.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$0.48 ₹45.54

343.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.35 ₹32.77

337.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.36 ₹34.42

277.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.40 ₹37.75

180.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.29 ₹27.07

89.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.75 ₹451

-10.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$6.79 ₹645

167.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.50 ₹143

16.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.70 ₹257

3.33%

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

$4.93 ₹468

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.25 ₹23.87

788.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$7.23 ₹687

205.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.92 ₹86.9

216.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.28 ₹26.74

260.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.63 ₹155

134.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.11 ₹105

34.23%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

139.16%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$18.5K ₹1.8M

44.13%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$34.85 ₹3,309

185.14%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$3.24 ₹307

248.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$6.72 ₹638

158.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$13.99 ₹1,328

273.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$7.04 ₹669

54.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$3.17 ₹301

138.80%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$41.15 ₹3,908

1256.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$1,338 ₹127.0K

758.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$19.66 ₹1,867

219.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$26.66 ₹2,531

7.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$36.43 ₹3,459

163.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$27.29 ₹2,591

222.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$120 ₹11.4K

506.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$66.4 ₹6,308

592.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$254 ₹24.1K

726.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$149 ₹14.2K

718.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$917 ₹87.1K

277.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$574 ₹54.5K

333.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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 13, 2026

Last update for Balaghat: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Balaghat

$66 18.9% 85.6% $394

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Balaghat

$96 27.3% 64% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Balaghat

$45 12.7% 65% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Balaghat

$50 14.1% 60.1% $75

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Balaghat

$65 18.3% 46.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Balaghat

$20 5.8% 69.8% $47

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Balaghat

$11 3% 72.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $120 in Balaghat. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $11.00 in Balaghat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $96.0 – making Balaghat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Balaghat

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

14:02 2:02 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

84,261

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Balaghat 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Balaghat

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 Balaghat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 243% more than Balaghat, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $529 in Balaghat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balaghat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $41.15 in Balaghat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 178% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Balaghat, where all-in costs run around $352, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Balaghat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Balaghat costs $352 versus $1,207 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Balaghat. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.