Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kohima

For one person, living is cheaper in Kohima: $355 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Kohima
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Kohima Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kohima

🇮🇳 India

$355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kohima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $355 in Kohima.

Phuket $1,278
Kohima $355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $567 in Kohima.

Phuket $2,216
Kohima $567

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $780 in Kohima.

Phuket $3,154
Kohima $780

Living in Phuket is roughly 260% more expensive than in Kohima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.28 ₹217

96.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$9.15 ₹869

254.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.70 ₹351

138.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.61 ₹152

75.78%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.40 ₹38.22

117.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.11 ₹10.87

345.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.29 ₹122

98.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.50 ₹332

5.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.65 ₹61.8

155.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.40 ₹38.14

265.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.55 ₹52.6

172.73%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.81 ₹76.7

158.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$2.76 ₹262

590.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.42 ₹325

-3.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.20 ₹209

33.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.71 ₹67.1

138.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.90 ₹85.1

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.62 ₹58.8

235.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.33 ₹31.45

357.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.37 ₹35.39

272.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.31 ₹29.35

245.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.27 ₹25.63

92.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.15 ₹204

95.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.01 ₹666

168.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.65 ₹157

10.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.49 ₹236

14.06%

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

$3.09 ₹294

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.23 ₹21.95

530.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$7.05 ₹670

703.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.68 ₹64.9

344.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.28 ₹26.27

264.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.33 ₹126

177.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.04 ₹99.0

41.35%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

136.60%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$16.2K ₹1.5M

64.50%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$35.38 ₹3,359

172.33%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.30 ₹314

241.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$6.27 ₹595

168.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$14.06 ₹1,335

378.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.22 ₹686

48.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.22 ₹306

132.92%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$28.01 ₹2,659

1599.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$2,253 ₹213.9K

399.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$17.12 ₹1,626

264.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$30.61 ₹2,907

-7.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$38.02 ₹3,610

148.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$27.14 ₹2,577

216.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$119 ₹11.3K

501.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$68.0 ₹6,457

621.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$284 ₹26.9K

579.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$169 ₹16.1K

745.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$916 ₹87.0K

355.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$491 ₹46.6K

519.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$204 ₹19.4K

146.07%

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 Kohima: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kohima

$68 19.2% 86.1% $423

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kohima

$97 27.2% 63.7% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kohima

$45 12.7% 63.9% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kohima

$51 14.3% 58.3% $71

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kohima

$64 18.1% 47.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kohima

$21 5.8% 75.1% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kohima

$10 2.8% 85.8% $61

Cost Breakdown

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

Phuket pays about 2.5 times 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 $9 in Kohima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $97 per month, with Kohima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Kohima

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

115,283

💱 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 Kohima 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kohima

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 Kohima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kohima is about 72% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $119 in Kohima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kohima – a meal for two runs $9 versus $32 in Phuket. 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 $355 in Kohima – Kohima is about 72% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $355 in Kohima versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kohima but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kohima 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 Kohima are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kohima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.