Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kollam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kollam: $284 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Kollam
Learn more

Kollam Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kollam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kollam

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $284 in Kollam, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kollam $284

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $446 in Kollam, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kollam $446

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $609 in Kollam, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kollam $609

Phuket costs about 350% more than Kollam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Kollam are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Kollam 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.03 ₹97.5

333.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$6.14 ₹583

427.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.23 ₹307

172.76%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.37 ₹130

106.57%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.34 ₹31.99

155.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.12 ₹11.54

308.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.33 ₹126

92.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.86 ₹177

97.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.60 ₹57.4

176.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.48 ₹45.65

204.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.51 ₹47.98

194.12%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.78 ₹74.1

167.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$3.59 ₹341

431.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.13 ₹203

54.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.57 ₹149

86.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.59 ₹56.2

186.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.70 ₹66.1

221.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.41 ₹38.63

407.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.35 ₹32.95

331.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.35 ₹33.54

294.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.61 ₹57.8

75.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.27 ₹25.68

92.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.17 ₹491

-18.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$2.70 ₹256

595.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.05 ₹195

-11.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.72 ₹258

4.41%

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

$3.35 ₹318

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.17 ₹15.88

752.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$7.20 ₹684

686.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.81 ₹76.8

272.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.33 ₹31.56

209.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.05 ₹195

80.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.11 ₹106

32.43%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$9,035 ₹857.8K

196.38%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$16.6K ₹1.6M

60.76%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$32.12 ₹3,050

199.97%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$2.97 ₹282

279.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$5.04 ₹479

234.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$13.44 ₹1,276

400.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.44 ₹991

2.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.54 ₹146

387.01%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$21.19 ₹2,012

2146.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$2,630 ₹249.7K

328.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$16.30 ₹1,548

282.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$23.34 ₹2,216

21.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$25.49 ₹2,420

269.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$24.42 ₹2,319

251.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$82.2 ₹7,801

771.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$47.79 ₹4,538

927.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$182 ₹17.3K

958.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$115 ₹10.9K

1145.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$834 ₹79.2K

400.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$449 ₹42.6K

578.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$525 ₹49.9K

-4.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.13

-38.99%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kollam: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kollam

$48 16.8% 90.3% $443

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kollam

$82 28.9% 69.1% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kollam

$40 14.1% 67.8% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kollam

$40 14.2% 66.9% $82

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kollam

$47 16.4% 61.7% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kollam

$17 5.8% 79.9% $66

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kollam

$10 3.6% 85.3% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $82 in Kollam. 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 5% higher in Kollam, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $6 in Kollam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $82 – making Kollam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Kollam

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

367,107

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kollam 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kollam

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 Kollam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 350% more than Kollam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $426 in Kollam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kollam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $82 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 224% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $6 in Kollam. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kollam, where all-in costs run around $284, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Kollam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kollam – 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.

For expats, Kollam is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 78% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.