Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Howrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Howrah: $383 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Howrah
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Howrah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Howrah

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Howrah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $383 in Howrah.

Phuket $1,208
Howrah $383

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $506 in Howrah.

Phuket $2,027
Howrah $506

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $629 in Howrah.

Phuket $2,845
Howrah $629

Living in Phuket is roughly 215% more expensive than in Howrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Howrah 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.07 ₹196

112.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$9.70 ₹921

232.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.28 ₹406

104.67%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.36 ₹129

108.09%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.46 ₹43.44

95.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.11 ₹10.24

327.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.60 ₹152

59.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.98 ₹283

28.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.61 ₹57.7

183.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.44 ₹41.44

234.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.66 ₹62.6

128.79%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.09 ₹103

99.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$5.51 ₹523

257.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.67 ₹254

25.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.07 ₹196

37.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.76 ₹72.5

123.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.44 ₹137

52.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.61 ₹57.5

236.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.33 ₹31.54

339.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.43 ₹40.37

220.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.35 ₹32.81

205.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.26 ₹24.69

96.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.10 ₹485

-16.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.41 ₹988

78.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.37 ₹131

29.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.68 ₹254

6.34%

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

$8.50 ₹807

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.18 ₹17.21

1155.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.87 ₹82.6

245.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.33 ₹31.49

221.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$1.55 ₹147

149.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.09 ₹103

33.03%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$13.0K ₹1.2M

102.73%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$19.6K ₹1.9M

37.13%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$44.11 ₹4,189

118.50%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$3.56 ₹338

210.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$6.49 ₹617

164.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$14.04 ₹1,333

271.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$3.11 ₹296

151.13%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$27.02 ₹2,566

1957.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$1,267 ₹120.3K

813.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$27.47 ₹2,608

133.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$26.28 ₹2,496

9.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$36.38 ₹3,455

162.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$28.59 ₹2,715

207.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$117 ₹11.1K

528.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$79.9 ₹7,590

478.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$353 ₹33.5K

41.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.08

-38.66%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Howrah: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Howrah

$80 20.9% 82.7% $382

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Howrah

$110 28.8% 58.9% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Howrah

$54 14.1% 56.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Howrah

$53 13.9% 57% $71

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Howrah

$62 16.2% 48.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Howrah

$20 5.3% 70.1% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Howrah

$3.3 * 0.9% 91.8% $36

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 $117 in Howrah. 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $10.00 in Howrah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $110 per month, with Howrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Howrah

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

19:28 7:28 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,072,161

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Howrah 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Howrah

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 Howrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howrah wins on cost – living expenses run 215% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Howrah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

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.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $117 in Howrah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $27.02 in Howrah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howrah – a meal for two runs $10.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $383 in Howrah versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Howrah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Howrah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Howrah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $383 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Howrah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Howrah 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 Howrah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 215% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.