Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Manipal

For one person, living is cheaper in Manipal: $362 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Manipal
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Manipal Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Manipal

🇮🇳 India

$362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Manipal

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $362 in Manipal, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Manipal $362

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $551 in Manipal, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Manipal $551

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $740 in Manipal, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Manipal $740

Phuket costs about 254% more than Manipal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Manipal are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Manipal 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.61 ₹153

177.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$8.76 ₹832

269.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.56 ₹243

244.14%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.38 ₹131

105.07%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.33 ₹31.59

163.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.13 ₹12.56

276.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.39 ₹132

84.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.79 ₹170

105.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.46 ₹43.62

260.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.45 ₹42.92

224.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.41 ₹39.38

265.85%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.80 ₹75.6

161.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$2.12 ₹202

799.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.34 ₹222

41.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.14 ₹108

157.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.61 ₹57.8

177.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.81 ₹76.7

177.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.50 ₹47.42

316.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.37 ₹35.53

308.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.39 ₹36.83

253.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.11 ₹10.62

872.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.25 ₹23.63

108.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.30 ₹408

-2.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.39 ₹512

248.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.75 ₹71.7

142.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.18 ₹207

30.28%

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

$3.19 ₹303

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.22 ₹20.92

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.81 ₹76.8

272.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.12 ₹11.01

750.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.07 ₹197

78.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.05 ₹99.6

40.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$10.4K ₹982.8K

158.70%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$20.0K ₹1.9M

33.20%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$55.8 ₹5,294

72.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$2.97 ₹282

279.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$5.94 ₹564

183.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$18.44 ₹1,751

264.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.63 ₹154

360.12%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$20.91 ₹1,986

2176.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$500 ₹47.5K

2151.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$12.80 ₹1,215

387.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$28.08 ₹2,666

1.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$21.07 ₹2,001

347.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$26.45 ₹2,511

224.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$152 ₹14.4K

372.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$112 ₹10.7K

337.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$382 ₹36.3K

404.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$240 ₹22.8K

496.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$704 ₹66.8K

-28.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.37

-40.55%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manipal: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Manipal

$112 31.1% 77.1% $379

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Manipal

$71 19.8% 73.2% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Manipal

$65 17.9% 48% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Manipal

$40 11% 67.4% $82

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Manipal

$49 13.7% 59.4% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Manipal

$22 6% 73.6% $61

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Manipal

$2.3 * 0.6% 96.8% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $152 in Manipal. 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 40% higher in Manipal, 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 $9 in Manipal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $71 – making Manipal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Manipal

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

34,370

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Manipal 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Manipal

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 Manipal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 254%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $542 in Manipal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manipal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $152 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $362 in Manipal. That makes Manipal about 72% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $21 in Manipal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Manipal, where all-in costs run around $362, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Manipal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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