Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pokhara

For one person, living is cheaper in Pokhara: $498 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Pokhara
Learn more

Pokhara Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Pokhara

🇳🇵 Nepal

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pokhara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $498 in Pokhara.

Phuket $1,278
Pokhara $498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $762 in Pokhara.

Phuket $2,216
Pokhara $762

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,027 in Pokhara.

Phuket $3,154
Pokhara $1,027

Living in Phuket is roughly 157% more expensive than in Pokhara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Pokhara 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.61 NPR 397

71.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$13.33 NPR 2,024

143.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.48 NPR 984

35.96%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.10 NPR 168

157.27%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.51 NPR 77.5

70.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.14 NPR 21.90

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.47 NPR 376

3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.64 NPR 552

1.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.82 NPR 125

102.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.61 NPR 93.2

139.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.66 NPR 99.4

127.27%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.82 NPR 277

14.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.02 NPR 913

216.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.14 NPR 476

5.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$5.62 NPR 853

94.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.57 NPR 390

14.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.28 NPR 194

32.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.25 NPR 190

80.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.67 NPR 102

210.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.37 NPR 56.3

308.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$0.87 NPR 132

58.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.36 NPR 55.0

197.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.29 NPR 44.38

79.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.57 NPR 390

63.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.97 NPR 1,666

71.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.50 NPR 379

-27.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.62 NPR 550

-21.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.20 NPR 30.29

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$20.01 NPR 3,038

183.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.62 NPR 245

86.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$0.81 NPR 123

25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.67 NPR 406

38.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.18 NPR 180

24.58%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$33.1K NPR 5.0M

-19.01%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$33.9K NPR 5.2M

-21.33%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$65.4 NPR 9,934

47.23%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.28 NPR 802

113.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$7.03 NPR 1,068

139.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$19.86 NPR 3,014

238.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.96 NPR 1,209

34.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.51 NPR 381

198.80%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$47.94 NPR 7,277

892.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$1,970 NPR 299.1K

471.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$18.82 NPR 2,857

231.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$37.80 NPR 5,737

-24.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$36.66 NPR 5,564

157.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$30.91 NPR 4,692

177.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$125 NPR 19.0K

470.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$83.8 NPR 12.7K

486.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$241 NPR 36.6K

699.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$158 NPR 24.0K

806.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$1,802 NPR 273.6K

131.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$604 NPR 91.7K

403.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$178 NPR 26.9K

182.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.5

-55.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pokhara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Pokhara

$84 16.8% 82.9% $407

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Pokhara

$153 30.8% 42.4% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Pokhara

$78 15.6% 37.5% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pokhara

$56 11.2% 54.2% $66

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pokhara

$76 15.2% 37.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Pokhara

$25 5% 69.7% $57

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Pokhara

$26 5.3% 62.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $125 in Pokhara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $13 in Pokhara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $153 per month, with Pokhara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇵 Pokhara

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

1 h 15 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

500,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Pokhara 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Pokhara

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 Pokhara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pokhara is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.8 times higher, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $125 in Pokhara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $48 in Pokhara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 74% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $498 in Pokhara versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Pokhara but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Pokhara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pokhara 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 Pokhara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Pokhara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.