Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Meerut

For one person, living is cheaper in Meerut: $379 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Meerut
🇮🇳 India
$379
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Meerut

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $379 in Meerut, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,207
  • Meerut $379

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $586 in Meerut, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,037
  • Meerut $586

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $793 in Meerut, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,867
  • Meerut $793

Phuket costs about 218% more than Meerut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Meerut are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Meerut 72% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Meerut
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.58 ฿153
$3.05 ₹290
50.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.48 ฿1,085
$10.48 ₹995
209.92%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.55 ฿286
$2.64 ₹251
223.86%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿90.9
$1.94 ₹184
40.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 ฿31.23
$0.35 ₹33.57
168.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.16 ₹15.17
206.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.5
$1.54 ₹146
68.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$1.69 ₹161
126.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Meerut
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.0
$0.58 ₹55.3
200.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ฿47.80
$0.46 ₹43.44
210.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.0
$0.59 ₹56.5
159.32%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.6
$0.90 ₹85.0
141.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.15 ฿640
$3.51 ₹334
445.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿110
$1.94 ₹184
70.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿372
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 ฿98.5
$1.25 ₹119
136.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ฿56.1
$0.69 ₹65.7
143.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 ฿76.8
$0.58 ₹54.7
296.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 ฿71.2
$0.48 ₹45.81
343.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.1
$0.28 ₹26.31
446.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 ฿45.52
$0.37 ₹34.71
267.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ฿37.42
$0.38 ₹36.35
194.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.23
$0.27 ₹25.44
103.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$4.73 ₹449
-9.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.19 ฿608
$10.18 ₹967
78.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.2
$1.34 ₹127
29.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿93.3
$1.96 ₹186
42.35%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$2.86 ₹272
-
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Meerut
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.22 ฿74.0
$0.32 ₹30.84
593.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.06 ฿737
$6.09 ₹578
262.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 ฿97.3
$0.51 ₹48.31
470.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ฿33.77
$0.22 ₹20.92
359.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.83 ฿128
$1.07 ₹102
257.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.82
$1.08 ₹103
37.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K ฿891.1K
$8,222 ₹780.7K
224.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿892.1K
$12.7K ₹1.2M
110.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Meerut
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.4 ฿3,319
$36.48 ₹3,464
172.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.28 ฿377
$3.04 ₹289
271.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.36 ฿580
$5.32 ₹505
226.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Meerut
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 ฿1,746
$10.36 ₹984
404.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.85 ฿362
$12.12 ₹1,151
-10.48%
Cinema Ticket
$7.57 ฿253
$3.75 ₹356
101.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Meerut
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 ฿18.6K
$31.41 ₹2,983
1677.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K ฿383.7K
$1,259 ₹119.6K
812.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Meerut
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 ฿2,100
$24.95 ₹2,369
152.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.58 ฿955
$23.69 ₹2,249
20.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.1 ฿3,211
$39.15 ₹3,717
145.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.1 ฿2,941
$39.51 ₹3,752
122.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Meerut
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$729 ฿24.4K
$150 ₹14.3K
385.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 ฿15.4K
$92.7 ₹8,800
396.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,096 ฿70.0K
$708 ₹67.2K
196.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 ฿40.8K
$177 ₹16.8K
591.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,459 ฿115.5K
$648 ₹61.5K
433.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,489 ฿83.1K
$235 ₹22.4K
956.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Meerut
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$493 ฿16.5K
$462 ₹43.9K
6.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
8.73
-36.20%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Meerut: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$460
Meerut
$93 79.9% $367
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Meerut
$89 66.7% $179
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$128
Meerut
$45 65% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Meerut
$57 53.8% $67
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Meerut
$69 43.4% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$67
Meerut
$18 73.5% $50
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Meerut
$9 76.9% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $150 in Meerut. 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 7% 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 $10.00 in Meerut. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $89.0 – making Meerut the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇳 Meerut
🕒 Local time
08:00 8:00 AM
06:30 6:30 AM
1 h 30 min behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
500,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.4 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.35 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Meerut 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Meerut

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 Meerut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Meerut?
Phuket costs about 218% more than Meerut, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Meerut?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $569 in Meerut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Phuket or Meerut?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Meerut, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Phuket and in Meerut?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $10.00 in Meerut. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Meerut?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,207 in Phuket and $379 in Meerut. That's a gap of about 218%.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Phuket or in Meerut?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Meerut, where all-in costs run around $379, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Meerut it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Phuket or Meerut?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Meerut costs $379 versus $1,207 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Phuket compared to Meerut?
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.
Should I move to Phuket or to Meerut?
If budget matters most, go with Meerut. 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.

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