Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Birgunj

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgunj: $354 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Birgunj
Learn more

Birgunj Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Birgunj

🇳🇵 Nepal

$354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Birgunj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $354 in Birgunj.

Phuket $1,278
Birgunj $354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $576 in Birgunj.

Phuket $2,216
Birgunj $576

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $797 in Birgunj.

Phuket $3,154
Birgunj $797

Living in Phuket is roughly 261% more expensive than in Birgunj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Birgunj 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.29 NPR 197

246.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$19.97 NPR 3,031

62.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.17 NPR 1,088

22.87%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.53 NPR 232

84.97%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.56 NPR 84.4

55.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.15 NPR 22.24

226.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.25 NPR 341

13.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.37 NPR 512

9.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.63 NPR 95.9

163.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.24 NPR 36.13

508.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.60 NPR 91.7

150.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.58 NPR 240

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$7.28 NPR 1,105

161.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.30 NPR 350

43.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.15 NPR 934

77.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.00 NPR 304

46.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.95 NPR 144

77.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.36 NPR 206

65.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.56 NPR 84.3

271.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.41 NPR 62.6

268.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.51 NPR 77.4

170.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.12 NPR 17.64

791.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.22 NPR 33.92

136.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.62 NPR 246

159.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$8.06 NPR 1,223

133.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.22 NPR 337

-18.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.07 NPR 466

-7.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.13 NPR 19.79

1015.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.84 NPR 280

64.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.21 NPR 183

-15.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$3.18 NPR 483

16.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.09 NPR 166

34.86%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

-26.34%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$36.2K NPR 5.5M

-26.27%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$31.67 NPR 4,808

204.23%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.32 NPR 504

239.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$9.24 NPR 1,403

82.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$13.32 NPR 2,022

404.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.93 NPR 293

288.60%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$67.5 NPR 10.3K

604.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$5,584 NPR 847.7K

101.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$24.27 NPR 3,684

156.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$27.21 NPR 4,130

4.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$26.11 NPR 3,964

261.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$16.21 NPR 2,460

429.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$33.93 NPR 5,150

2009.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$39.29 NPR 5,965

1149.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$123 NPR 18.7K

1463.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$77.4 NPR 11.8K

1747.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$654 NPR 99.3K

538.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$495 NPR 75.2K

514.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.98

-44.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Birgunj: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Birgunj

$39 11.1% 92% $452

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Birgunj

$132 37.2% 50.5% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Birgunj

$44 12.5% 64.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Birgunj

$42 11.9% 65.4% $80

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Birgunj

$71 20% 41.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Birgunj

$17 4.9% 79.1% $65

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Birgunj

$8.4 * 2.4% 88.1% $62

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 $716 in Phuket and $34 in Birgunj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $20 in Birgunj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $132 per month, with Birgunj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇵 Birgunj

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

1 h 15 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

135,904

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.88 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Birgunj 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Birgunj

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 Birgunj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birgunj wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Birgunj the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $531 in Birgunj to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $34 in Birgunj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $68 in Birgunj. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Birgunj – a meal for two runs $20 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $354 in Birgunj versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Birgunj but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Birgunj 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.