Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kota

For one person, living is cheaper in Kota: $338 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Kota
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Kota Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kota

🇮🇳 India

$338

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $338 in Kota.

Phuket $1,278
Kota $338

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $539 in Kota.

Phuket $2,216
Kota $539

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $739 in Kota.

Phuket $3,154
Kota $739

Living in Phuket is roughly 278% more expensive than in Kota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kota 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.05 ₹195

118.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$7.94 ₹754

308.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.69 ₹255

227.51%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$0.70 ₹66.6

304.29%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.36 ₹33.93

141.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.19 ₹17.71

157.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.61 ₹153

59.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.23 ₹307

13.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.61 ₹57.5

172.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.44 ₹42.20

231.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.68 ₹64.8

120.59%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.83 ₹78.9

151.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.41 ₹418

332.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.66 ₹253

24.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.55 ₹147

89.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.49 ₹46.13

244.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.67 ₹63.9

235.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.41 ₹38.58

407.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.35 ₹33.55

331.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.40 ₹38.24

245.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.31 ₹29.06

245.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.28 ₹26.29

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.21 ₹399

-0.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.66 ₹728

145.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.54 ₹146

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.86 ₹177

52.69%

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

$4.82 ₹458

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.51 ₹48.25

184.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$25.77 ₹2,447

119.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.33 ₹31.39

815.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.22 ₹20.92

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.06 ₹101

248.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.12 ₹106

31.25%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

137.09%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$17.2K ₹1.6M

55.33%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$13.27 ₹1,260

626.07%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$2.58 ₹245

336.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$6.15 ₹584

173.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$10.33 ₹981

550.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$4.26 ₹404

151.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.18 ₹302

135.85%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$34.18 ₹3,246

1292.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$655 ₹62.2K

1619.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$22.28 ₹2,116

179.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$33.09 ₹3,142

-14.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$34.97 ₹3,320

169.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$20.80 ₹1,975

312.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$135 ₹12.8K

429.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$79.1 ₹7,507

520.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$248 ₹23.6K

675.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$175 ₹16.6K

717.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$558 ₹52.9K

648.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$344 ₹32.7K

784.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$422 ₹40.1K

19.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.5

-25.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kota: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kota

$79 23.4% 83.9% $412

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kota

$92 27.1% 65.6% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kota

$22 6.5% 82.3% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kota

$50 14.8% 59% $72

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kota

$50 14.7% 59.2% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kota

$17 4.9% 79.7% $66

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kota

$29 8.6% 58.6% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $135 in Kota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 19% 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 $8 in Kota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $92 per month, with Kota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Kota

🕒 Local time

03:17 3:17 AM

01:47 1:47 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,001,400

💱 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 Kota 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kota

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 Kota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $338 in Kota, so Kota is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Phuket, 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 $135 in Kota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 191% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kota – a meal for two runs $8 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $338 in Kota versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kota but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kota 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.

Expats usually find Kota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.