Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Banga

For one person, living is cheaper in Banga: $431 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Banga
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Banga Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Banga

🇮🇳 India

$431

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Banga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $431 in Banga.

Phuket $1,294
Banga $431

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $710 in Banga.

Phuket $2,204
Banga $710

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $989 in Banga.

Phuket $3,115
Banga $989

Living in Phuket is roughly 200% more expensive than in Banga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Banga 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.76 ₹356

16.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$21.19 ₹2,007

52.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$3.71 ₹351

134.50%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.47 ₹234

10.12%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.38 ₹36.47

144.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.15 ₹14.04

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.06 ₹195

22.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.18 ₹302

14.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$0.73 ₹69.6

138.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$0.51 ₹48.61

184.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.76 ₹71.7

97.37%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.17 ₹111

85.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$4.28 ₹405

346.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$3.49 ₹330

-2.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.94 ₹184

51.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.73 ₹69.4

131.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$0.98 ₹92.9

123.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$0.49 ₹46.09

332.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$0.29 ₹27.39

403.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$0.37 ₹35.13

270.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.41 ₹38.63

163.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.29 ₹27.39

89.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.00 ₹474

-11.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$8.31 ₹787

119.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.60 ₹152

10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.78 ₹263

3.60%

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

$6.36 ₹602

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.23 ₹21.88

530.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$7.26 ₹688

656.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.07 ₹102

41.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$0.27 ₹25.74

188.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$1.62 ₹153

137.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.10 ₹104

35.45%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$11.1K ₹1.0M

143.22%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$19.4K ₹1.8M

35.55%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$43.20 ₹4,092

126.41%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$4.12 ₹390

174.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$6.66 ₹631

158.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$14.43 ₹1,367

373.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$6.41 ₹607

70.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$5.32 ₹504

39.66%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$101 ₹9,601

423.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$2,329 ₹220.7K

706.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$24.02 ₹2,275

156.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$28.27 ₹2,679

-0.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$53.0 ₹5,017

81.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$44.53 ₹4,219

94.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$119 ₹11.3K

506.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$75.9 ₹7,195

570.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$268 ₹25.4K

628.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$186 ₹17.6K

649.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$928 ₹88.0K

351.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$532 ₹50.4K

519.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$309 ₹29.3K

58.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.33

-33.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Banga: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Banga

$76 17.6% 85.1% $433

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Banga

$108 25% 59.6% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Banga

$54 12.5% 57.3% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Banga

$67 15.7% 45.1% $55

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Banga

$90 20.8% 25% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Banga

$25 5.8% 69.9% $58

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Banga

$11 2.5% 83.9% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $119 in Banga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 59% 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 in Phuket vs $21 in Banga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $108 per month, with Banga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Banga

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

10:52 10:52 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 94.74 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Phuket
Banga

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 Banga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Banga is about 67% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 59% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $119 in Banga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $431 in Banga – Banga is about 67% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Banga runs roughly 87% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $431 in Banga versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Banga but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Banga 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 Banga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.