Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Mangalore: $450 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Mangalore
Learn more

Mangalore Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Mangalore

🇮🇳 India

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mangalore

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Phuket vs $450 in Mangalore, rent included.

Phuket $1,190
Mangalore $450

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Phuket vs $676 in Mangalore, rent included.

Phuket $2,006
Mangalore $676

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Phuket vs $902 in Mangalore, rent included.

Phuket $2,822
Mangalore $902

Phuket costs about 164% more than Mangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mangalore are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Mangalore 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$3.03 ₹293

43.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$11.50 ₹1,113

182.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$4.20 ₹406

100.48%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$1.88 ₹182

49.47%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.37 ₹35.34

135.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.16 ₹15.32

187.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.06 ₹199

25.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$2.37 ₹230

53.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$0.53 ₹51.5

222.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.43 ₹41.86

237.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$0.55 ₹52.8

183.64%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$0.90 ₹87.2

133.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$3.44 ₹333

467.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$2.53 ₹245

34.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$1.59 ₹154

77.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$0.81 ₹78.4

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$0.89 ₹86.3

149.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$0.34 ₹32.70

532.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.42 ₹40.70

254.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.35 ₹33.57

280.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$0.59 ₹57.6

81.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.28 ₹27.05

82.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$4.90 ₹475

-10.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$4.10 ₹397

357.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.39 ₹134

25.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.48 ₹240

12.10%

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

$4.87 ₹471

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$0.25 ₹24.12

768.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$31.49 ₹3,047

-29.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$0.95 ₹92.0

217.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.32 ₹31.06

231.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.21 ₹117

206.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.10 ₹106

30.00%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$10.6K ₹1.0M

149.13%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$18.7K ₹1.8M

39.90%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$28.28 ₹2,737

241.80%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$4.86 ₹470

134.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$6.77 ₹655

152.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$16.18 ₹1,566

226.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$3.73 ₹361

196.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$2.64 ₹255

189.77%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$55.1 ₹5,333

906.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$857 ₹83.0K

1215.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$29.53 ₹2,858

114.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$27.37 ₹2,649

4.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$50.1 ₹4,846

93.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$34.28 ₹3,318

158.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$172 ₹16.6K

327.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$131 ₹12.7K

249.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$341 ₹33.0K

515.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$212 ₹20.5K

460.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$565 ₹54.7K

518.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$375 ₹36.3K

563.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$397 ₹38.4K

26.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.9

-29.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mangalore: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Mangalore

$131 29% 71.4% $327

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Mangalore

$84 18.7% 68.6% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Mangalore

$40 8.8% 68.1% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Mangalore

$64 14.1% 49.1% $61

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Mangalore

$77 16.9% 35.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Mangalore

$21 4.8% 68.5% $47

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Mangalore

$35 7.8% 10.7% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $735 in Phuket versus $172 in Mangalore. 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 26% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $11.00 in Mangalore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $84.0 – making Mangalore the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Mangalore

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

500,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Mangalore 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mangalore

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 Mangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 164%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Phuket and $675 in Mangalore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mangalore, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Phuket and $450 in Mangalore. That's a gap of about 164%.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Mangalore. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mangalore, where all-in costs run around $450, than in Phuket at $1,190. In Mangalore it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mangalore – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mangalore. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.