Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Madurai

For one person, living is cheaper in Madurai: $416 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Madurai
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Madurai Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Madurai

🇮🇳 India

$416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Madurai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $416 in Madurai.

Phuket $1,278
Madurai $416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $703 in Madurai.

Phuket $2,216
Madurai $703

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $989 in Madurai.

Phuket $3,154
Madurai $989

Living in Phuket is roughly 207% more expensive than in Madurai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Madurai 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.71 ₹162

161.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$10.45 ₹992

210.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.23 ₹402

108.27%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.28 ₹216

24.12%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.58 ₹55.1

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.25 ₹23.87

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.14 ₹203

19.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.72 ₹353

-1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.55 ₹52.5

201.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.56 ₹53.4

160.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.68 ₹65.0

120.59%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.84 ₹79.5

148.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.12 ₹581

211.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.96 ₹281

11.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.98 ₹283

-1.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.74 ₹70.3

128.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.68 ₹159

33.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.50 ₹47.65

316.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.62 ₹59.2

143.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.70 ₹66.8

97.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.67 ₹63.9

59.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.29 ₹27.13

79.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.16 ₹490

-18.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.63 ₹1,010

76.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.13 ₹202

-14.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.44 ₹421

-36.04%

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

$9.72 ₹923

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.20 ₹18.95

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$10.41 ₹988

444.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.17 ₹111

158.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.33 ₹31.24

209.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.29 ₹122

186.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.11 ₹106

32.43%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

139.24%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$23.7K ₹2.2M

12.68%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$23.27 ₹2,210

314.05%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.76 ₹452

136.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$7.55 ₹717

123.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$15.81 ₹1,501

325.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.46 ₹614

66.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.67 ₹253

180.90%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$42.17 ₹4,004

1028.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$1,576 ₹149.6K

614.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$25.37 ₹2,409

145.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$25.52 ₹2,423

11.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$53.2 ₹5,047

77.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$32.85 ₹3,119

161.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$135 ₹12.8K

431.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$79.7 ₹7,570

515.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$433 ₹41.1K

345.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$264 ₹25.0K

442.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$987 ₹93.7K

322.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$440 ₹41.8K

591.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$363 ₹34.4K

38.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.59

-41.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Madurai: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Madurai

$80 19.2% 83.8% $411

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Madurai

$129 31% 51.5% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Madurai

$36 8.6% 71.4% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Madurai

$62 14.8% 49.5% $60

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Madurai

$75 18% 38.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Madurai

$21 5.1% 74.3% $61

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Madurai

$14 3.4% 80.1% $57

Cost Breakdown

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

Phuket pays 39% 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 $10 in Madurai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $129 per month, with Madurai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Madurai

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,700,000

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 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 = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Madurai 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Madurai

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 Madurai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $416 in Madurai, so Madurai is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% 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 Madurai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 106% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Madurai – a meal for two runs $10 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $416 in Madurai versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Madurai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Madurai 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 Madurai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.