Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mumbai (Bombay)

For one person, living is cheaper in Mumbai (Bombay): $813 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Mumbai (Bombay), India
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Mumbai (Bombay)
🇮🇳 India
$813
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mumbai (Bombay)

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 Mumbai (Bombay) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $813 in Mumbai (Bombay).

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Mumbai (Bombay) $813

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,352 in Mumbai (Bombay).

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Mumbai (Bombay) $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,891 in Mumbai (Bombay).

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Mumbai (Bombay) $1,891

Living in Phuket is roughly 57% more expensive than in Mumbai (Bombay), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Mumbai (Bombay) 40% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$5.35 ₹508
-16.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$20.87 ₹1,982
55.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$4.08 ₹387
115.93%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$2.78 ₹264
1.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$0.40 ₹38.24
117.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$0.15 ₹14.42
226.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$2.64 ₹251
-3.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$4.25 ₹404
-13.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$0.74 ₹70.5
124.32%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$0.54 ₹51.3
170.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$0.78 ₹74.1
92.31%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.00 ₹95.1
109.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$5.61 ₹533
239.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$3.58 ₹340
-7.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$2.17 ₹206
35.02%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$0.69 ₹65.8
144.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.21 ₹114
85.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$0.49 ₹46.33
324.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.33 ₹31.71
357.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$0.37 ₹35.53
272.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$0.44 ₹41.79
143.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.31 ₹29.64
67.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$5.00 ₹475
-16.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$8.34 ₹792
125.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.99 ₹189
-8.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$3.12 ₹296
-8.97%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$6.01 ₹570
-
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
$0.20 ₹18.95
625.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$6.90 ₹655
721.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$0.31 ₹29.84
874.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$0.31 ₹29.41
229.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$1.61 ₹153
129.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$1.10 ₹105
33.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
$15.6K ₹1.5M
71.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$22.4K ₹2.1M
19.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$61.9 ₹5,873
55.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$4.52 ₹429
149.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$8.97 ₹852
87.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$37.11 ₹3,524
81.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$14.11 ₹1,340
-23.95%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$5.01 ₹476
49.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$119 ₹11.3K
299.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$4,948 ₹469.8K
127.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$36.37 ₹3,453
71.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$38.71 ₹3,675
-26.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$54.7 ₹5,196
72.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$48.03 ₹4,561
78.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$640 ₹60.7K
11.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$372 ₹35.3K
32.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$2,093 ₹198.7K
-7.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$925 ₹87.8K
54.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$5,706 ₹541.8K
-26.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$2,560 ₹243.1K
18.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Mumbai (Bombay)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$757 ₹71.9K
-33.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
8.29
-32.81%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Mumbai (Bombay)
$372 24.3% $119
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Mumbai (Bombay)
$117 56% $149
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Mumbai (Bombay)
$75 39.5% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Mumbai (Bombay)
$80 34.3% $42
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Mumbai (Bombay)
$112 7.7% $9.4
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Mumbai (Bombay)
$47 42.7% $35
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Mumbai (Bombay)
$9.6 86.5% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $640 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $21 in Mumbai (Bombay) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $117 per month, with Mumbai (Bombay) cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)
🕒 Local time
18:54 6:54 PM
17:24 5:24 PM
1 h 30 min behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
12,442,373
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Mumbai (Bombay) 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Mumbai (Bombay)

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 Mumbai (Bombay): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Phuket and in Mumbai (Bombay)?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $813 in Mumbai (Bombay), so Mumbai (Bombay) is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Phuket and in Mumbai (Bombay)?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $640 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 127% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Mumbai (Bombay) – a meal for two runs $21 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $813 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mumbai (Bombay) but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Mumbai (Bombay) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Where should families live: Phuket or Mumbai (Bombay)?
For families, Mumbai (Bombay) is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Where should expats move: Phuket or Mumbai (Bombay)?
Expats usually find Mumbai (Bombay) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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