Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Goa

For one person, living is cheaper in Goa: $517 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Goa, India
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Goa
🇮🇳 India
$517
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Goa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $517 in Goa.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Goa $517

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $815 in Goa.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Goa $815

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,112 in Goa.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Goa $1,112

Living in Phuket is roughly 147% more expensive than in Goa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Goa 62% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Goa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$3.23 ₹308
38.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$16.07 ₹1,529
101.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$5.62 ₹534
56.76%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$1.20 ₹114
135.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$0.35 ₹33.76
148.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$0.16 ₹15.27
206.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$1.18 ₹112
116.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.64 ₹251
39.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Goa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$0.70 ₹66.8
137.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$0.54 ₹51.5
170.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$0.68 ₹64.9
120.59%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$0.84 ₹80.0
148.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$7.27 ₹692
162.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$3.02 ₹287
9.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$1.74 ₹166
68.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$0.74 ₹70.5
128.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.59 ₹151
41.51%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$0.42 ₹39.52
395.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.31 ₹29.14
387.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$0.41 ₹38.97
236.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$0.52 ₹49.20
105.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.30 ₹28.74
73.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$4.94 ₹470
-14.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$6.67 ₹634
181.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$0.84 ₹79.5
116.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$2.94 ₹280
-3.40%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$4.88 ₹464
-
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Goa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
$0.25 ₹23.58
480.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$9.83 ₹935
476.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.03 ₹97.8
193.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$0.34 ₹32.46
200.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$1.50 ₹143
146.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$1.08 ₹102
36.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
$11.1K ₹1.1M
140.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$30.3K ₹2.9M
-11.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Goa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$25.85 ₹2,459
272.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$3.01 ₹286
274.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$9.54 ₹907
76.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Goa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$17.25 ₹1,640
289.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$1.02 ₹97.0
951.96%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$3.16 ₹301
137.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Goa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$111 ₹10.5K
330.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$1,683 ₹160.1K
569.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Goa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$32.10 ₹3,053
94.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$34.70 ₹3,301
-18.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$58.3 ₹5,543
61.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$28.56 ₹2,717
200.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Goa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$211 ₹20.1K
239.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$195 ₹18.5K
152.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$575 ₹54.7K
234.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$384 ₹36.5K
272.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$1,472 ₹140.0K
183.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$1,087 ₹103.4K
180.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Goa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$353 ₹33.6K
42.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
9.12
-38.93%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Goa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Goa
$195 60.4% $296
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Goa
$108 59.5% $158
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Goa
$38 69.1% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Goa
$69 43.3% $53
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Goa
$70 42.2% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Goa
$24 71.3% $59
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Goa
$14 80.8% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $211 in Goa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 42% 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 in Phuket vs $16 in Goa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $108 per month, with Goa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇳 Goa
🕒 Local time
15:36 3:36 PM
14:06 2:06 PM
1 h 30 min behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
1,458,545
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.12 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Goa 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Goa

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 Goa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Phuket and in Goa?
Phuket and Goa differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($1,278 vs $517 including rent). Goa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Phuket or Goa?
Average pay runs 42% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Phuket and in Goa?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $211 in Goa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 147% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Goa – a meal for two runs $16 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $517 in Goa versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Goa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Goa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Where should families live: Phuket or Goa?
For families, Goa 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.
Where should expats move: Phuket or Goa?
Expats usually find Goa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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