Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bokaro

For one person, living is cheaper in Bokaro: $356 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Bokaro, India
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Bokaro
🇮🇳 India
$356
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bokaro

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $356 in Bokaro, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Bokaro $356

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $549 in Bokaro, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Bokaro $549

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $742 in Bokaro, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Bokaro $742

Phuket costs about 259% more than Bokaro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Bokaro are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Bokaro 74% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Bokaro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$2.16 ₹205
106.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$9.35 ₹888
246.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$3.16 ₹300
178.80%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$1.59 ₹151
77.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$0.38 ₹36.47
128.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$0.12 ₹11.69
308.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$1.55 ₹147
65.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$5.89 ₹559
-37.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Bokaro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$0.53 ₹50.1
213.21%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$0.20 ₹18.96
630.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$0.52 ₹49.64
188.46%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$0.73 ₹69.3
186.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$6.59 ₹626
189.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$1.60 ₹152
106.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$1.37 ₹130
113.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$0.68 ₹65.0
148.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$0.97 ₹92.1
131.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$0.41 ₹39.00
407.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.33 ₹31.32
357.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$0.48 ₹45.60
187.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$0.47 ₹44.40
127.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.27 ₹25.47
92.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$5.07 ₹481
-17.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$6.43 ₹611
192.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.07 ₹102
70.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$2.09 ₹198
35.89%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$5.15 ₹489
-
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Bokaro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
$0.22 ₹20.70
559.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$7.15 ₹679
692.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.02 ₹96.9
196.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$0.20 ₹19.30
410.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$2.07 ₹196
78.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$1.14 ₹108
28.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
$11.4K ₹1.1M
135.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$21.3K ₹2.0M
25.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Bokaro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$41.88 ₹3,977
130.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$2.98 ₹283
277.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$6.54 ₹621
157.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Bokaro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$7.80 ₹740
761.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$7.15 ₹679
50.07%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$3.39 ₹322
121.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Bokaro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$52.1 ₹4,949
812.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$1,673 ₹158.8K
573.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Bokaro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$18.17 ₹1,726
243.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$29.23 ₹2,775
-2.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$38.54 ₹3,660
144.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$21.28 ₹2,021
303.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Bokaro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$118 ₹11.3K
504.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$78.3 ₹7,435
526.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$265 ₹25.2K
626.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$158 ₹15.0K
806.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$939 ₹89.1K
344.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$530 ₹50.4K
473.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Bokaro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$621 ₹59.0K
-19.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
8
-30.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bokaro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Bokaro
$78 84% $413
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Bokaro
$86 67.5% $180
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Bokaro
$51 58.7% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Bokaro
$48 60.4% $74
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Bokaro
$67 44.6% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Bokaro
$15 82.3% $68
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Bokaro
$10 85.7% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $118 in Bokaro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Bokaro, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $9 in Bokaro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $86 – making Bokaro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇳 Bokaro
🕒 Local time
06:09 6:09 AM
04:39 4:39 AM
1 h 30 min behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
564,319
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Bokaro 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Bokaro

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 Bokaro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phuket and in Bokaro compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $356 in Bokaro – Bokaro comes out roughly 72% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Bokaro?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $535 in Bokaro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Phuket and Bokaro?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bokaro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $118 there versus $716 in Phuket.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $9 in Bokaro. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Phuket or Bokaro?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $356 in Bokaro. That makes Bokaro about 72% cheaper.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bokaro, where all-in costs run around $356, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Bokaro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Phuket or Bokaro?
Families tend to lean toward Bokaro – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Where should expats move: Phuket or Bokaro?
For expats, Bokaro is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 72% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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