Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dharwad

For one person, living is cheaper in Dharwad: $372 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Dharwad
Learn more

Dharwad Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Dharwad

🇮🇳 India

$372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dharwad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $372 in Dharwad.

Phuket $1,278
Dharwad $372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $577 in Dharwad.

Phuket $2,216
Dharwad $577

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $781 in Dharwad.

Phuket $3,154
Dharwad $781

Living in Phuket is roughly 243% more expensive than in Dharwad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Dharwad 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.43 ₹325

30.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$7.45 ₹707

335.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.71 ₹352

137.47%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.59 ₹151

77.99%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.41 ₹38.66

112.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.14 ₹13.09

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.56 ₹148

64.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.01 ₹286

22.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.67 ₹63.8

147.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.46 ₹43.44

217.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.65 ₹61.3

130.77%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.85 ₹80.8

145.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.02 ₹382

374.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.88 ₹273

14.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.92 ₹182

52.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.67 ₹63.3

152.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.95 ₹90.2

136.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.45 ₹42.76

362.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.36 ₹33.84

319.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.37 ₹35.52

272.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.40 ₹38.37

167.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.29 ₹27.53

79.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.51 ₹523

-23.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.26 ₹594

200.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.59 ₹151

14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.99 ₹284

-5.02%

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

$4.27 ₹405

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.23 ₹21.86

530.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$7.08 ₹672

700.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.86 ₹81.6

251.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.25 ₹24.21

308.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.62 ₹154

127.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.13 ₹107

30.09%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$12.1K ₹1.1M

121.47%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$21.7K ₹2.1M

23.28%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$34.58 ₹3,283

178.63%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.12 ₹297

260.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$5.82 ₹552

189.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$14.37 ₹1,364

367.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.67 ₹538

89.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.98 ₹283

151.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$46.87 ₹4,450

915.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$1,442 ₹136.9K

681.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$19.92 ₹1,892

213.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$26.08 ₹2,476

8.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$37.85 ₹3,594

149.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$27.95 ₹2,654

206.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$121 ₹11.5K

492.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$77.8 ₹7,387

530.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$266 ₹25.2K

625.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$163 ₹15.4K

780.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$967 ₹91.8K

331.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$538 ₹51.1K

465.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.86

-37.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dharwad: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Dharwad

$78 20.9% 84.2% $413

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Dharwad

$97 26% 63.6% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Dharwad

$44 11.7% 65% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dharwad

$50 13.5% 58.7% $72

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dharwad

$74 19.8% 39.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Dharwad

$20 5.5% 75.3% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Dharwad

$10 2.7% 85.6% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $121 in Dharwad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $7 in Dharwad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $97 per month, with Dharwad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Dharwad

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

100,000

💱 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 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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Dharwad 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dharwad

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 Dharwad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $372 in Dharwad, so Dharwad is about 71% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $559 in Dharwad 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 $121 in Dharwad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $372 in Dharwad – Dharwad is about 71% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Dharwad runs roughly 88% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $372 in Dharwad versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dharwad but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Dharwad 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 Dharwad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.