Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Karad

For one person, living is cheaper in Karad: $475 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Karad
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Karad Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Karad

🇮🇳 India

$475

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Karad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $475 in Karad.

Phuket $1,278
Karad $475

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $742 in Karad.

Phuket $2,216
Karad $742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,010 in Karad.

Phuket $3,154
Karad $1,010

Living in Phuket is roughly 169% more expensive than in Karad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Karad 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.16 ₹205

106.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$10.60 ₹1,007

205.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.09 ₹388

115.40%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.79 ₹265

1.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.38 ₹36.02

128.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.14 ₹13.22

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.67 ₹253

-4.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.28 ₹407

-14.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.70 ₹66.0

137.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.54 ₹51.0

170.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.73 ₹69.0

105.48%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.00 ₹95.3

109.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.48 ₹521

247.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.56 ₹338

-7.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.14 ₹203

36.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.73 ₹69.4

131.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.26 ₹119

78.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.52 ₹49.46

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.37 ₹34.68

308.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.40 ₹38.24

245.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.41 ₹38.67

160.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.29 ₹27.32

79.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.01 ₹476

-16.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.61 ₹818

118.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.95 ₹185

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.21 ₹305

-11.53%

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

$6.24 ₹593

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.22 ₹20.69

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$7.90 ₹750

617.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.32 ₹30.00

843.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.31 ₹29.10

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.62 ₹154

127.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.14 ₹108

28.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$16.0K ₹1.5M

67.15%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$22.2K ₹2.1M

20.03%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$62.1 ₹5,893

55.25%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.56 ₹433

146.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$9.25 ₹879

82.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$14.64 ₹1,390

359.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.06 ₹575

77.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.88 ₹463

53.69%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$45.31 ₹4,302

950.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$1,409 ₹133.7K

699.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$35.24 ₹3,346

76.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$38.36 ₹3,642

-25.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$55.0 ₹5,220

71.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$46.39 ₹4,405

84.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$119 ₹11.3K

500.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$81.6 ₹7,747

501.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$246 ₹23.4K

682.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$206 ₹19.6K

594.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$995 ₹94.4K

319.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$575 ₹54.6K

429.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.29

-32.81%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karad: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Karad

$82 17.2% 83.4% $409

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Karad

$117 24.6% 56.2% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Karad

$76 16% 39% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Karad

$79 16.6% 35.4% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Karad

$87 18.3% 28.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Karad

$24 5.1% 70.3% $58

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Karad

$11 2.2% 85% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $119 in Karad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $11 in Karad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $117 per month, with Karad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Karad

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

03:43 3:43 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

53,900

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Karad 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Karad

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 Karad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $475 in Karad, so Karad is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $712 in Karad to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $119 in Karad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $475 in Karad – Karad is about 63% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Karad runs roughly 86% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $475 in Karad versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Karad but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Karad 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 Karad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Karad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.