Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Begusarai

For one person, living is cheaper in Begusarai: $266 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Begusarai
🇮🇳 India
$266
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Begusarai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $266 in Begusarai.

  • Phuket $1,207
  • Begusarai $266

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $475 in Begusarai.

  • Phuket $2,037
  • Begusarai $475

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $684 in Begusarai.

  • Phuket $2,867
  • Begusarai $684

Living in Phuket is roughly 353% more expensive than in Begusarai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Begusarai 80% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Begusarai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.58 ฿153
$2.13 ₹202
115.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.48 ฿1,085
$7.50 ₹713
333.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.55 ฿286
$3.11 ₹295
174.92%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿90.9
$1.54 ₹147
76.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 ฿31.23
$0.32 ₹30.55
193.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.09 ₹8.25
444.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.5
$1.97 ₹187
31.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$5.96 ₹566
-35.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Begusarai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.0
$0.50 ₹47.26
248.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ฿47.80
$0.40 ₹37.97
257.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.0
$0.57 ₹53.7
168.42%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.6
$0.88 ₹83.2
146.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.15 ฿640
$2.04 ₹193
838.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿110
$2.28 ₹216
44.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿372
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 ฿98.5
$1.42 ₹135
107.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ฿56.1
$0.57 ₹54.0
194.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 ฿76.8
$0.91 ₹86.4
152.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 ฿71.2
$0.44 ₹41.45
384.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.1
$0.22 ₹20.92
595.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 ฿45.52
$0.32 ₹30.13
325.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ฿37.42
$0.22 ₹20.92
409.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.23
$0.28 ₹26.83
96.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$3.81 ₹362
11.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.19 ฿608
$6.33 ₹602
187.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.2
$1.55 ₹147
12.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿93.3
$2.12 ₹201
31.60%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$6.39 ₹607
-
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Begusarai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.22 ฿74.0
$0.26 ₹24.27
753.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.06 ฿737
$7.21 ₹685
205.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 ฿97.3
$1.35 ₹128
115.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ฿33.77
$0.15 ₹13.96
573.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.83 ฿128
$1.55 ₹148
147.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.82
$1.11 ₹106
34.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K ฿891.1K
$12.5K ₹1.2M
113.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿892.1K
$10.5K ₹997.0K
154.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Begusarai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.4 ฿3,319
$11.33 ₹1,076
777.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.28 ฿377
$2.35 ₹223
380.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.36 ฿580
$6.34 ₹602
173.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Begusarai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 ฿1,746
$4.20 ₹399
1145.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.85 ฿362
$6.61 ₹627
64.15%
Cinema Ticket
$7.57 ฿253
$1.08 ₹102
600.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Begusarai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 ฿18.6K
$55.2 ₹5,244
910.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K ฿383.7K
$617 ₹58.6K
1762.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Begusarai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 ฿2,100
$24.11 ₹2,290
160.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.58 ฿955
$26.48 ₹2,514
7.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.1 ฿3,211
$23.91 ₹2,271
302.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.1 ฿2,941
$27.58 ₹2,619
219.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Begusarai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$729 ฿24.4K
$52.0 ₹4,942
1301.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 ฿15.4K
$36.78 ₹3,492
1150.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,096 ฿70.0K
$261 ₹24.8K
703.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 ฿40.8K
$182 ₹17.2K
572.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,459 ฿115.5K
$848 ₹80.5K
308.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,489 ฿83.1K
$444 ₹42.1K
461.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Begusarai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$493 ฿16.5K
$1,062 ₹100.8K
-53.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
9.46
-41.12%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Begusarai: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$460
Begusarai
$37 92% $423
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Begusarai
$79 70.6% $189
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$128
Begusarai
$20 84.4% $108
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Begusarai
$46 63% $78
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Begusarai
$68 43.7% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$67
Begusarai
$6.4 90.6% $61
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Begusarai
$10 73.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $52.0 in Begusarai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Begusarai pays 115% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $8.00 in Begusarai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $79.0 per month, with Begusarai cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇳 Begusarai
🕒 Local time
01:52 1:52 AM
00:22 12:22 AM
1 h 30 min behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
250,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 33.4 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.46 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.39 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Begusarai 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Begusarai

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 Begusarai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Begusarai cheaper than Phuket?
Begusarai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 353% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Begusarai?
On paper, salaries run 115% lower in Begusarai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Begusarai?
Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $52.0 in Begusarai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Begusarai?
Dining out is cheaper in Begusarai – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Begusarai?
All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $266 in Begusarai – a 353% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Begusarai?
At $266 in Begusarai versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Begusarai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Begusarai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Phuket or Begusarai more family-friendly?
For families, Begusarai 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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Begusarai?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Begusarai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Begusarai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 353% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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