Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mumbai (Bombay) Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mumbai (Bombay)

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $759 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,262 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,766 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Living in Phuket is roughly 62% more expensive than Mumbai (Bombay), driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Mumbai (Bombay) 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$5.31 ₹504

-12.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$22.21 ₹2,108

110.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$4.67 ₹443

89.29%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.62 ₹249

14.50%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.51 ₹48.04

45.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.15 ₹14.08

146.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$2.27 ₹216

7.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$4.09 ₹388

-11.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$0.80 ₹75.7

182.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.52 ₹49.64

253.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.82 ₹77.5

173.17%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.09 ₹104

112.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$7.02 ₹666

180.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$3.89 ₹369

-6.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.38 ₹226

42.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$0.80 ₹76.3

105.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.30 ₹123

85.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$0.65 ₹61.7

212.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.57 ₹53.7

173.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.63 ₹60.2

138.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.63 ₹60.1

61.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.33 ₹31.00

48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$4.00 ₹380

11.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$8.07 ₹766

133.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$2.16 ₹205

-17.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$3.39 ₹322

-18.88%

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

$7.13 ₹677

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.24 ₹22.82

483.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$4.63 ₹440

147.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$0.34 ₹32.17

817.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$1.40 ₹133

906.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.22 ₹116

10.66%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$17.3K ₹1.6M

57.48%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$25.3K ₹2.4M

30.27%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$50.2 ₹4,764

149.06%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$5.00 ₹474

171.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$8.79 ₹835

110.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$23.18 ₹2,201

165.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$11.81 ₹1,121

42.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$4.70 ₹446

95.53%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$121 ₹11.5K

478.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$3,385 ₹321.4K

360.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$29.30 ₹2,782

97.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$30.72 ₹2,917

14.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$55.0 ₹5,225

105.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$39.51 ₹3,751

118.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$694 ₹65.9K

-11.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$359 ₹34.1K

24.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$1,797 ₹170.6K

13.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$821 ₹77.9K

81.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$6,515 ₹618.6K

-42.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$2,661 ₹252.6K

-0.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$719 ₹68.3K

-27.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

9.22

-42.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $694 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mumbai (Bombay) pays 37% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Mumbai (Bombay) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $130 per month, with Mumbai (Bombay) cheaper across the board.

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

Phuket and Mumbai (Bombay) differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,232 vs $759 including rent). Mumbai (Bombay) is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Mumbai (Bombay) earns 37% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $616 in Phuket versus $694 in Mumbai (Bombay). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 125% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mumbai (Bombay) – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $759 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $2,000 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.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Mumbai (Bombay) are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mumbai (Bombay) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.