Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pune Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pune

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,247 in Phuket versus $571 in Pune.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,276 in Phuket versus $903 in Pune.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Phuket versus $1,235 in Pune.

Living in Phuket is roughly 118% more expensive than Pune, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 7% lower, Pune 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 ฿147

$3.95 ₹367

16.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.83 ฿1,501

$17.61 ₹1,634

165.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿279

$5.05 ₹468

72.28%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ฿93.7

$2.33 ₹217

25.32%

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

$0.68 ฿21.92

$0.40 ₹37.37

70.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿12.70

$0.16 ₹14.59

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ฿80.4

$2.34 ₹217

7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ฿122

$4.32 ₹400

-12.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ฿69.3

$0.76 ₹70.2

184.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 ฿60.3

$0.57 ₹53.2

229.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ฿69.2

$0.82 ₹76.2

163.41%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿71.2

$1.11 ₹103

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.57 ฿627

$6.72 ₹624

191.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.80 ฿122

$4.18 ₹388

-9.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 ฿430

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 ฿104

$2.51 ₹233

29.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.7

$0.82 ₹75.8

96.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ฿74.0

$1.48 ₹137

56.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 ฿66.0

$0.69 ₹64.1

198.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.5

$0.57 ₹52.7

182.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 ฿46.26

$0.61 ₹56.7

136.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.01

$0.73 ₹67.3

41.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.39

$0.37 ₹34.04

29.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿144

$4.11 ₹381

9.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 ฿615

$8.15 ₹756

135.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.4

$2.25 ₹209

-19.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿86.2

$3.51 ₹326

-23.36%

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

$6.80 ₹631

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 ฿44.16

$0.48 ₹44.66

187.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 ฿377

$11.81 ₹1,096

-0.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.6

$0.49 ₹45.34

534.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.18

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 ฿441

$2.36 ₹219

482.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ฿41.61

$1.19 ₹110

9.24%

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

$27.4K ฿877.0K

$15.4K ₹1.4M

78.04%

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

$23.9K ₹2.2M

38.21%

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

$125 ฿4,004

$27.50 ₹2,552

354.11%

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

$13.74 ฿440

$4.64 ₹430

196.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.61 ฿597

$9.56 ₹887

94.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 ฿1,941

$18.00 ₹1,670

236.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 ฿550

$7.55 ₹700

127.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 ฿289

$4.67 ₹433

92.93%

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

$698 ฿22.4K

$98.0 ₹9,090

612.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ฿516.5K

$2,548 ₹236.4K

532.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 ฿1,898

$33.13 ₹3,074

78.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 ฿1,118

$31.75 ₹2,946

9.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ฿3,662

$62.9 ₹5,833

81.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,751

$41.28 ₹3,831

107.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿19.8K

$265 ₹24.6K

133.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.0K

$179 ₹16.6K

144.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 ฿66.5K

$610 ₹56.6K

240.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿48.4K

$364 ₹33.7K

314.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,764 ฿120.7K

$2,278 ₹211.4K

65.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 ฿86.4K

$1,074 ₹99.6K

150.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 ฿16.9K

$1,183 ₹109.8K

-55.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

9.14

-41.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Last update for Pune: April 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $265 in Pune. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pune pays 124% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Phuket vs $18 in Pune for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $134 per month, with Pune 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 Pune: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pune is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 118% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Pune earns 124% 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: $619 in Phuket versus $265 in Pune. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $98.0 in Pune. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 118% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $571 in Pune versus $1,247 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pune but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Pune the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pune 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 Pune 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 Pune gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.