Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Imphal

For one person, living is cheaper in Imphal: $351 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Imphal
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Imphal Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Imphal

🇮🇳 India

$351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Imphal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $351 in Imphal.

Phuket $1,207
Imphal $351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $572 in Imphal.

Phuket $2,037
Imphal $572

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $794 in Imphal.

Phuket $2,867
Imphal $794

Living in Phuket is roughly 244% more expensive than in Imphal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Imphal 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.13 ₹202

115.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$8.26 ₹784

293.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.54 ₹431

88.33%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$0.70 ₹66.6

288.57%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.45 ₹43.10

108.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.18 ₹16.90

172.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.03 ₹97.9

151.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.95 ₹280

29.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.70 ₹66.5

148.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.83 ₹78.6

72.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.43 ₹40.86

255.81%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.24 ₹117

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$4.53 ₹430

322.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.81 ₹266

17.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.58 ₹245

14.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.64 ₹60.6

162.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$0.90 ₹85.6

155.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$0.59 ₹56.3

261.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.41 ₹38.87

273.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.38 ₹35.79

257.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.52 ₹49.35

115.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.25 ₹23.81

120.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.16 ₹490

-17.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$11.49 ₹1,091

58.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.42 ₹135

22.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.37 ₹130

103.65%

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

$5.28 ₹501

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.30 ₹28.02

640.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$7.10 ₹675

210.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.03 ₹97.8

182.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.32 ₹30.40

215.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.64 ₹156

133.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.14 ₹109

30.70%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$11.6K ₹1.1M

129.38%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$22.3K ₹2.1M

19.80%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$66.1 ₹6,274

50.40%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$3.07 ₹292

267.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$4.93 ₹468

252.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$5.32 ₹505

882.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$1.58 ₹150

586.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$2.62 ₹249

188.93%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$14.21 ₹1,350

3829.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$1,397 ₹132.7K

722.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$20.94 ₹1,989

200.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$20.64 ₹1,960

38.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$31.77 ₹3,017

202.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$31.95 ₹3,034

175.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$88.8 ₹8,432

721.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$42.45 ₹4,031

983.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$241 ₹22.9K

768.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$182 ₹17.3K

572.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$424 ₹40.3K

715.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$253 ₹24.0K

883.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$185 ₹17.5K

166.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.35

-61.18%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Imphal: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Imphal

$42 12.1% 90.8% $418

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Imphal

$113 32.2% 57.9% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Imphal

$74 21.1% 42.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Imphal

$47 13.5% 61.8% $77

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Imphal

$53 15% 56.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Imphal

$11 3% 84.3% $57

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Imphal

$11 3.1% 71.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $88.8 in Imphal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 167% 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 $8.00 in Imphal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $113 per month, with Imphal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Imphal

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

01:51 1:51 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

500,000

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Imphal 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Imphal

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 Imphal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Imphal differ by about 244% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $351 including rent). Imphal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 167% 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: $729 in Phuket versus $88.8 in Imphal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 137% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imphal – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $351 in Imphal versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Imphal but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Imphal 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Imphal 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 Imphal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 244% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.