Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Itanagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Itanagar: $348 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Itanagar, India
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Itanagar
🇮🇳 India
$348
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Itanagar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $348 in Itanagar.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Itanagar $348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $554 in Itanagar.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Itanagar $554

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $759 in Itanagar.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Itanagar $759

Living in Phuket is roughly 267% more expensive than in Itanagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Itanagar 74% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Itanagar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$2.81 ₹267
59.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$11.62 ₹1,107
178.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$5.39 ₹513
63.45%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$2.53 ₹241
11.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$0.40 ₹38.54
117.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$0.17 ₹16.07
188.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$1.28 ₹122
100.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$3.34 ₹318
10.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Itanagar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$0.61 ₹58.4
172.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$0.38 ₹36.39
284.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$0.55 ₹52.1
172.73%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$0.91 ₹86.4
129.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$2.15 ₹205
786.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$3.28 ₹312
0.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$2.22 ₹211
31.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$0.68 ₹64.6
148.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$0.89 ₹84.9
152.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$0.66 ₹62.9
215.15%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.32 ₹30.81
371.87%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$0.37 ₹35.34
272.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$0.33 ₹31.60
224.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$0.25 ₹23.72
108.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$3.67 ₹349
14.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$4.77 ₹455
293.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.43 ₹136
27.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.24 ₹118
129.03%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$5.01 ₹477
-
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Itanagar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$0.69 ₹65.9
337.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$0.30 ₹28.98
240.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$1.33 ₹127
177.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$0.94 ₹89.9
56.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$11.1K ₹1.1M
140.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$16.5K ₹1.6M
62.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Itanagar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$34.98 ₹3,331
175.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$3.25 ₹309
246.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$6.33 ₹603
166.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Itanagar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$21.10 ₹2,009
218.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$3.18 ₹303
135.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Itanagar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$27.23 ₹2,593
1647.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$454 ₹43.3K
2378.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Itanagar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$16.98 ₹1,617
267.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$31.31 ₹2,982
-9.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$37.58 ₹3,578
150.90%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$26.80 ₹2,552
220.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Itanagar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$73.9 ₹7,032
869.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$53.0 ₹5,048
826.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$155 ₹14.8K
1141.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$126 ₹12.0K
1039.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Itanagar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$319 ₹30.3K
57.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
7.38
-24.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Itanagar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Itanagar
$53 89.2% $438
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Itanagar
$86 67.7% $180
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Itanagar
$45 64.2% $80
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Itanagar
$51 58.4% $71
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Itanagar
$84 30.6% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Itanagar
$27 66.6% $55
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Itanagar
$2.2 * 96.9% $68

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 $716 in Phuket and $74 in Itanagar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 58% 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 $12 in Itanagar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $86 per month, with Itanagar cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇳 Itanagar
🕒 Local time
03:27 3:27 AM
01:57 1:57 AM
1 h 30 min behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
60,000
💱 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 = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Itanagar 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Itanagar

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 Itanagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Itanagar cheaper than Phuket?
Itanagar is about 73% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Itanagar?
Average pay runs 58% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Itanagar?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $74 in Itanagar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $27 in Itanagar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Itanagar?
Dining out is cheaper in Itanagar – a meal for two runs $12 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Itanagar?
At $348 in Itanagar versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Itanagar but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Itanagar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Itanagar?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Itanagar wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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