Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Port Blair

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Blair: $361 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Port Blair
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Port Blair Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Port Blair

🇮🇳 India

$361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Port Blair

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $361 in Port Blair.

Phuket $1,208
Port Blair $361

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $575 in Port Blair.

Phuket $2,027
Port Blair $575

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $790 in Port Blair.

Phuket $2,845
Port Blair $790

Living in Phuket is roughly 235% more expensive than in Port Blair, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Port Blair 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.04 ₹194

115.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$10.50 ₹998

207.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$3.62 ₹343

141.99%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.59 ₹151

77.99%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.39 ₹37.45

130.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.13 ₹11.93

261.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.78 ₹169

43.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.97 ₹282

28.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.67 ₹63.5

158.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.44 ₹41.58

234.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.66 ₹62.3

128.79%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$0.89 ₹84.9

143.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$4.40 ₹418

347.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.80 ₹266

19.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.84 ₹175

54.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.63 ₹60.0

169.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$0.88 ₹83.1

148.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.44 ₹42.01

365.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.34 ₹32.63

326.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.37 ₹34.71

272.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.43 ₹40.72

148.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.29 ₹27.50

75.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.88 ₹463

-12.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.36 ₹699

152.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.60 ₹152

11.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.66 ₹253

7.14%

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

$4.95 ₹470

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.25 ₹23.51

804.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$7.59 ₹721

191.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.86 ₹81.4

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.27 ₹25.85

292.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$1.61 ₹153

139.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.07 ₹102

35.51%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$12.4K ₹1.2M

112.57%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$19.5K ₹1.9M

38.06%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$34.47 ₹3,274

179.61%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$3.35 ₹318

229.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$6.62 ₹628

158.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$14.02 ₹1,332

272.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$6.34 ₹602

76.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$3.88 ₹368

101.29%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$47.72 ₹4,532

1064.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$1,410 ₹133.9K

721.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$21.61 ₹2,052

197.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$23.66 ₹2,246

21.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$38.80 ₹3,684

145.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$27.72 ₹2,633

217.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$87.9 ₹8,350

738.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$72.2 ₹6,854

540.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$261 ₹24.8K

703.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$173 ₹16.4K

594.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$970 ₹92.1K

259.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$520 ₹49.4K

385.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$637 ₹60.4K

-21.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.86

-37.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Port Blair: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Port Blair

$72 20% 84.4% $390

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Port Blair

$98 27.2% 63.5% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Port Blair

$44 12.3% 64.3% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Port Blair

$50 13.9% 59.5% $74

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Port Blair

$63 17.5% 47.9% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Port Blair

$22 6% 67.9% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Port Blair

$11 3% 72.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $87.9 in Port Blair. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Blair pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $11.00 in Port Blair for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $98.0 per month, with Port Blair cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Port Blair

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

21:00 9:00 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

108,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Port Blair 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Port Blair

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 Port Blair: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Blair is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 235% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Port Blair. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $87.9 in Port Blair. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $47.72 in Port Blair. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 174% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $361 in Port Blair versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Port Blair but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Port Blair the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Port Blair 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 Port Blair 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 Port Blair gentler on the wallet – expenses run 235% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.