Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Indianapolis, IN

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,684 in Indianapolis, IN, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Indianapolis, IN
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Indianapolis, IN Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Indianapolis, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Indianapolis, IN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,684 in Indianapolis, IN.

Phuket $1,278
Indianapolis, IN $2,684

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,851 in Indianapolis, IN.

Phuket $2,216
Indianapolis, IN $3,851

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,019 in Indianapolis, IN.

Phuket $3,154
Indianapolis, IN $5,019

Living in Phuket costs roughly 52% less than in Indianapolis, IN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Indianapolis, IN is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.99 $19.99

-77.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$79.7 $79.7

-59.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.89 $11.89

-25.90%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.65 $5.65

-49.91%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.31 $3.31

-73.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.64 $2.64

-81.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.18 $6.18

-58.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.06 $8.06

-54.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.86 $0.86

93.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.27 $3.27

-55.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.64 $4.64

-67.67%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.74 $3.74

-44.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$12.44 $12.44

53.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.47 $12.47

-73.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.35 $17.35

-37.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$5.58 $5.58

-47.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.47 $1.47

14.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.96 $4.96

-54.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.22 $4.22

-50.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.52 $2.52

-40.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.91 $2.91

-52.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.43 $2.43

-55.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.54 $2.54

-79.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$11.45 $11.45

-63.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.56 $15.56

20.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.00 $2.00

-9.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.59 $3.59

-20.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.76 $1.76

-17.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$60.6 $60.6

-6.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.05 $2.05

47.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.69 $1.69

-39.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$33.96 $33.96

-89.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.93 $0.93

58.06%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$30.7K $30.7K

-12.90%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$25.7K $25.7K

3.79%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$234 $234

-58.87%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$61.2 $61.2

-81.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$64.5 $64.5

-73.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$36.87 $36.87

82.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$41.90 $41.90

-74.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.80 $14.80

-49.32%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,736 $1,736

-72.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$24.5K $24.5K

-54.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$56.5 $56.5

10.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$44.97 $44.97

-36.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$112 $112

-15.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$143 $143

-40.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,651 $1,651

-56.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,278 $1,278

-61.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,666 $2,666

-27.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,909 $1,909

-25.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,768 $2,768

50.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,751 $1,751

73.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,222 $4,222

-88.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.57

-15.22%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Indianapolis, IN: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Indianapolis, IN

$1.3K 47.6% 160% $787

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Indianapolis, IN

$406 15.1% 52.5% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Indianapolis, IN

$360 13.4% 189% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Indianapolis, IN

$161 6% 31.7% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Indianapolis, IN

$334 12.5% 175% $213

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Indianapolis, IN

$66 2.5% 19.2% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Indianapolis, IN

$78 2.9% 10.7% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,651 in Indianapolis, IN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Indianapolis, IN pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $80 in Indianapolis, IN for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $406 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 Indianapolis, IN

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

18:08 6:08 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

882,039

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Indianapolis, IN 14,700 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Indianapolis, IN

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 Indianapolis, IN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Indianapolis, IN. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,651 in Indianapolis, IN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $80 in Indianapolis, IN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,684 in Indianapolis, IN – Phuket is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,684 in Indianapolis, IN, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Indianapolis, IN. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Indianapolis, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.