Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kochi

For one person, living is cheaper in Kochi: $412 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Kochi
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Kochi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kochi

🇮🇳 India

$412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kochi

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $412 in Kochi, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kochi $412

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $626 in Kochi, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kochi $626

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $840 in Kochi, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kochi $840

Phuket costs about 210% more than Kochi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Kochi are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Kochi 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.62 ₹154

175.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$8.34 ₹792

288.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.71 ₹352

137.47%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.35 ₹128

109.63%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.42 ₹40.00

107.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.15 ₹14.04

226.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.62 ₹154

58.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.05 ₹195

79.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.60 ₹57.4

176.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.50 ₹47.05

192.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.57 ₹54.5

163.16%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.99 ₹94.2

111.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.00 ₹665

172.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.69 ₹350

-10.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.32 ₹220

26.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.69 ₹65.4

144.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.07 ₹101

110.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.52 ₹48.91

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.40 ₹37.84

277.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.48 ₹45.17

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.53 ₹49.86

101.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.29 ₹27.23

79.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.11 ₹485

-17.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.09 ₹768

132.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.66 ₹158

9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.43 ₹231

16.87%

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

$5.03 ₹477

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.20 ₹18.94

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$6.28 ₹597

802.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.75 ₹71.4

302.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.31 ₹29.43

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.30 ₹123

183.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.09 ₹104

34.86%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

136.18%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$18.0K ₹1.7M

48.65%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$32.93 ₹3,126

192.59%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.35 ₹318

236.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$6.98 ₹663

141.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$16.79 ₹1,594

300.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$9.25 ₹879

16.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.94 ₹184

286.60%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$55.4 ₹5,259

759.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$1,859 ₹176.5K

506.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$25.95 ₹2,464

140.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$17.73 ₹1,683

60.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$36.07 ₹3,425

161.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$26.66 ₹2,531

221.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$191 ₹18.1K

275.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$120 ₹11.4K

308.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$452 ₹42.9K

326.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$217 ₹20.6K

558.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,125 ₹106.8K

271.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$676 ₹64.2K

350.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$421 ₹40.0K

19.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.6

-35.23%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kochi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kochi

$120 29.1% 75.5% $371

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kochi

$116 28.2% 56.3% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kochi

$43 10.5% 65.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kochi

$48 11.6% 60.7% $74

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kochi

$55 13.3% 55% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kochi

$21 5% 74.9% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kochi

$9.4 2.3% 86.7% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $191 in Kochi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 19% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $8 in Kochi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $116 – making Kochi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Kochi

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

16:38 4:38 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

677,381

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kochi 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kochi

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 Kochi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 210%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $618 in Kochi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kochi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $191 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 129% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $8 in Kochi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kochi, where all-in costs run around $412, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Kochi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kochi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Kochi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.