Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Biratnagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Biratnagar: $319 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Biratnagar
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Biratnagar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Biratnagar

🇳🇵 Nepal

$319

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Biratnagar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $319 in Biratnagar.

Phuket $1,208
Biratnagar $319

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $524 in Biratnagar.

Phuket $2,027
Biratnagar $524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $730 in Biratnagar.

Phuket $2,845
Biratnagar $730

Living in Phuket is roughly 278% more expensive than in Biratnagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Biratnagar 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$1.51 NPR 229

191.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$14.13 NPR 2,147

128.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.71 NPR 1,172

13.62%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.19 NPR 181

137.82%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.34 NPR 52.1

164.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.49 NPR 226

71.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.15 NPR 327

78.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.57 NPR 86.1

203.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.39 NPR 58.5

276.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.64 NPR 97.0

135.94%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.20 NPR 182

80.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$4.49 NPR 683

338.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.67 NPR 405

25.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$3.14 NPR 477

255.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.02 NPR 306

41.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.74 NPR 113

129.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.29 NPR 196

69.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.49 NPR 74.3

318.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.39 NPR 59.7

271.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.43 NPR 65.1

220.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.27 NPR 41.06

296.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.28 NPR 41.89

82.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.55 NPR 388

67.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.60 NPR 243

11.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.33 NPR 354

22.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.17 NPR 26.16

1229.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$11.85 NPR 1,801

86.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.93 NPR 293

55.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$2.33 NPR 353

65.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.19 NPR 181

21.85%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$21.2K NPR 3.2M

24.13%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

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

$11.04 ฿369

$4.23 NPR 643

160.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$9.08 NPR 1,379

88.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$27.91 NPR 4,240

86.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$1.99 NPR 303

460.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$3.14 NPR 476

148.73%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$47.49 NPR 7,216

1070.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$1,727 NPR 262.4K

570.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$20.02 NPR 3,042

220.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$32.54 NPR 4,945

-11.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$24.35 NPR 3,699

291.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$29.47 NPR 4,477

198.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$46.59 NPR 7,079

1482.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$52.5 NPR 7,981

780.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$129 NPR 19.7K

1519.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$99.1 NPR 15.1K

1111.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$397 NPR 60.4K

777.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$260 NPR 39.4K

871.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$160 NPR 24.3K

213.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-60.21%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Biratnagar: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Biratnagar

$53 16.5% 88.6% $410

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Biratnagar

$94 * 29.6% 64.9% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Biratnagar

$13 * 4.2% 89.3% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Biratnagar

$48 15% 61.5% $76

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Biratnagar

$63 * 19.6% 48.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Biratnagar

$34 10.7% 49.6% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Biratnagar

$14 * 4.5% 63.3% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $46.59 in Biratnagar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 213% 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 $14.00 in Biratnagar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $94.0 per month, with Biratnagar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇵 Biratnagar

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

23:59 11:59 PM

1 h 15 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

166,674

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, 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).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD). 1 EUR = 171 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Biratnagar 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Biratnagar

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 Biratnagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Biratnagar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 278% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 213% 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 $46.59 in Biratnagar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 185% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Biratnagar – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $319 in Biratnagar versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Biratnagar but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Biratnagar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Biratnagar 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 Biratnagar 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 Biratnagar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 278% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.