Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Panaji

For one person, living is cheaper in Panaji: $435 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Panaji
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Panaji Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Panaji

🇮🇳 India

$435

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Panaji

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $435 in Panaji.

Phuket $1,190
Panaji $435

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $693 in Panaji.

Phuket $2,006
Panaji $693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $951 in Panaji.

Phuket $2,822
Panaji $951

Living in Phuket is roughly 174% more expensive than in Panaji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Panaji 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$2.52 ₹243

72.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$15.34 ₹1,485

111.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$3.68 ₹356

128.80%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$1.70 ₹165

65.29%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.45 ₹43.83

93.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.20 ₹18.90

130.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.05 ₹102

146.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$1.79 ₹173

103.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$0.72 ₹69.2

137.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.50 ₹48.83

190.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$0.72 ₹69.9

116.67%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$0.92 ₹88.8

128.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$7.38 ₹715

164.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.58 ₹347

-5.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$2.41 ₹233

17.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$0.85 ₹82.0

90.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.30 ₹126

70.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$0.38 ₹36.98

465.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.37 ₹35.95

302.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.45 ₹43.69

195.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$0.82 ₹79.2

30.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.34 ₹32.53

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$3.78 ₹366

15.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$7.74 ₹749

142.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.01 ₹98.0

72.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$3.15 ₹305

-11.75%

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

$4.32 ₹418

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$0.16 ₹15.04

1256.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$6.06 ₹586

267.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$0.33 ₹31.49

815.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.49 ₹47.87

116.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.05 ₹199

80.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.05 ₹101

36.19%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$16.9K ₹1.6M

55.67%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$25.0K ₹2.4M

4.61%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$21.08 ₹2,040

358.54%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$3.63 ₹351

214.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$8.91 ₹863

92.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$26.86 ₹2,600

96.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$3.18 ₹308

248.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$2.88 ₹279

165.63%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$54.8 ₹5,302

912.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$1,403 ₹135.7K

704.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$36.92 ₹3,573

71.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$25.89 ₹2,506

10.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$21.10 ₹2,042

358.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$15.30 ₹1,481

479.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$175 ₹17.0K

319.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$130 ₹12.6K

252.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$342 ₹33.1K

514.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$259 ₹25.1K

357.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$911 ₹88.2K

283.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$689 ₹66.7K

261.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$190 ₹18.3K

164.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.74

-42.81%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Panaji: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Panaji

$130 30.1% 71.6% $328

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Panaji

$119 27.6% 55.5% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Panaji

$34 7.8% 73.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Panaji

$45 10.3% 64.2% $80

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Panaji

$63 14.6% 47.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Panaji

$33 7.5% 52.1% $35

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Panaji

$9.5 2.2% 75.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $175 in Panaji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 164% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $15.00 in Panaji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $119 per month, with Panaji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Panaji

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

06:54 6:54 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

114,759

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Panaji 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Panaji

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 Panaji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panaji is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 174% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 164% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $735 in Phuket versus $175 in Panaji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $54.8 in Panaji. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $435 in Panaji versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Panaji but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Panaji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Panaji 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Panaji 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 Panaji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 174% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.