Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bhilai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhilai: $328 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Bhilai
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Bhilai Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bhilai

🇮🇳 India

$328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bhilai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $328 in Bhilai.

Phuket $1,278
Bhilai $328

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $557 in Bhilai.

Phuket $2,216
Bhilai $557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $786 in Bhilai.

Phuket $3,154
Bhilai $786

Living in Phuket is roughly 290% more expensive than in Bhilai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Bhilai 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.67 ₹253

67.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$8.83 ₹838

267.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.08 ₹292

186.04%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.91 ₹181

48.17%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.29 ₹27.06

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.22 ₹20.56

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.59 ₹151

61.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.81 ₹267

30.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.56 ₹52.9

196.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.39 ₹36.76

274.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.60 ₹56.8

150.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.01 ₹96.1

106.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.09 ₹389

366.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.82 ₹267

17.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.36 ₹224

24.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.53 ₹50.6

218.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.89 ₹84.4

152.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.48 ₹45.19

333.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.35 ₹33.61

331.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.45 ₹42.32

206.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.27 ₹25.74

296.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.29 ₹27.22

79.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.16 ₹490

-18.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.66 ₹442

303.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.69 ₹160

7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.70 ₹257

5.19%

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

$3.83 ₹363

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.38 ₹36.46

281.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$6.37 ₹605

789.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.02 ₹97.1

196.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.22 ₹20.92

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.86 ₹177

98.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.12 ₹106

31.25%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

136.79%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$18.1K ₹1.7M

47.35%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$31.61 ₹3,002

204.81%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.21 ₹305

250.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$4.79 ₹454

251.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$6.94 ₹659

868.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$3.08 ₹292

248.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.31 ₹314

126.59%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$82.5 ₹7,832

476.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$1,042 ₹98.9K

981.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$23.26 ₹2,208

168.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$28.63 ₹2,718

-0.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$23.96 ₹2,275

293.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$23.58 ₹2,239

263.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$73.8 ₹7,002

870.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$58.0 ₹5,508

746.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$265 ₹25.2K

627.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$209 ₹19.8K

585.97%

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)

$502 ฿16.9K

$675 ₹64.1K

-25.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.82

-36.85%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bhilai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bhilai

$58 17.7% 88.2% $433

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bhilai

$93 28.3% 65.1% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bhilai

$40 12.1% 68.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bhilai

$45 13.7% 63.3% $77

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bhilai

$69 21.1% 43.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bhilai

$14 4.1% 83.5% $69

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bhilai

$10 3.1% 85.8% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $74 in Bhilai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhilai pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $9 in Bhilai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $93 per month, with Bhilai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Bhilai

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

06:25 6:25 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

627,734

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Bhilai 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bhilai

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 Bhilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $328 in Bhilai, so Bhilai is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $74 in Bhilai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $82 in Bhilai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 187% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $328 in Bhilai versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bhilai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bhilai 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 Bhilai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.