Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Manali

For one person, living is cheaper in Manali: $411 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 Manali
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Manali Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Manali

🇮🇳 India

$411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Manali

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $411 in Manali, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Manali $411

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $642 in Manali, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Manali $642

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $873 in Manali, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Manali $873

Phuket costs about 211% more than Manali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.05 ₹196

118.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$6.11 ₹582

430.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.29 ₹408

105.36%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.63 ₹250

7.60%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.25 ₹23.93

248.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.13 ₹12.76

276.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.34 ₹128

91.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.84 ₹175

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.72 ₹68.4

130.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.51 ₹48.23

186.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.87 ₹82.5

72.41%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.91 ₹86.6

129.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$4.97 ₹473

283.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.85 ₹272

15.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.72 ₹164

70.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.71 ₹67.8

138.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.09 ₹104

106.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.63 ₹60.4

230.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.28 ₹26.32

439.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.32 ₹30.12

331.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.70 ₹66.5

52.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.29 ₹28.05

79.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.15 ₹491

-18.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.73 ₹1,117

60.19%

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

$2.79 ₹265

1.79%

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

$6.56 ₹624

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.20 ₹19.42

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$6.22 ₹592

810.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.03 ₹98.0

193.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.25 ₹23.93

308.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.60 ₹152

130.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.09 ₹104

34.86%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

139.74%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$25.4K ₹2.4M

5.22%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$38.25 ₹3,642

151.90%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.07 ₹388

176.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$6.80 ₹648

147.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$13.48 ₹1,284

398.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.68 ₹541

88.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.18 ₹303

135.85%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$59.0 ₹5,621

706.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,465 ₹234.7K

356.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$27.58 ₹2,626

126.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$25.10 ₹2,390

13.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$56.9 ₹5,419

65.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$44.45 ₹4,232

93.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$121 ₹11.5K

491.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$76.4 ₹7,276

542.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$271 ₹25.8K

611.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$190 ₹18.1K

653.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$810 ₹77.1K

415.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$519 ₹49.4K

486.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$523 ₹49.8K

-3.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manali: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Manali

$76 18.6% 84.4% $414

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Manali

$114 27.8% 57.2% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Manali

$49 12% 60.5% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Manali

$69 16.9% 43.1% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Manali

$73 17.7% 40.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Manali

$20 4.8% 75.9% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Manali

$9.3 2.3% 86.8% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $121 in Manali. 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 4% higher in Manali, 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 Manali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $114 – making Manali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Manali

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

02:49 2:49 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 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 Manali 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Manali

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 Manali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $411 in Manali – Manali comes out roughly 68% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $616 in Manali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manali, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $411 in Manali. That makes Manali about 68% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 89% less in Manali. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Manali, where all-in costs run around $411, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Manali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Manali – 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, Manali is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 68% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.