Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pune

For one person, living is cheaper in Pune: $539 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Pune
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Pune Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Pune

🇮🇳 India

$539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pune

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $539 in Pune.

Phuket $1,190
Pune $539

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $895 in Pune.

Phuket $2,006
Pune $895

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $1,252 in Pune.

Phuket $2,822
Pune $1,252

Living in Phuket is roughly 121% more expensive than in Pune, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Pune 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$4.17 ₹403

4.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$17.42 ₹1,686

86.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$5.21 ₹504

61.61%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$2.10 ₹203

33.81%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.48 ₹46.01

81.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.17 ₹16.06

170.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.82 ₹273

-8.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$4.27 ₹414

-14.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$0.72 ₹70.0

137.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.57 ₹54.7

154.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$0.71 ₹68.3

119.72%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$1.06 ₹103

98.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$6.21 ₹601

214.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.24 ₹313

4.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$2.79 ₹270

1.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$0.73 ₹70.8

121.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.80 ₹174

23.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$0.47 ₹45.61

357.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.42 ₹40.24

254.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.46 ₹44.98

189.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$0.61 ₹59.3

75.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.30 ₹29.02

70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$5.00 ₹484

-12.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$6.35 ₹614

195.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$2.15 ₹208

-19.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.87 ₹278

-3.14%

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

$5.75 ₹556

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$0.44 ₹42.60

393.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$15.79 ₹1,528

41.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$0.41 ₹39.51

636.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.25 ₹24.12

324.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.14 ₹207

73.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.08 ₹105

32.41%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$13.5K ₹1.3M

94.98%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$20.0K ₹1.9M

31.17%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$39.33 ₹3,807

145.77%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$3.80 ₹368

200.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$7.64 ₹739

123.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$20.84 ₹2,017

153.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$6.89 ₹667

60.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$5.11 ₹494

49.71%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$129 ₹12.5K

330.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$2,273 ₹220.0K

396.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$28.83 ₹2,790

119.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$26.23 ₹2,538

9.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$49.74 ₹4,814

94.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$37.37 ₹3,617

137.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$257 ₹24.9K

185.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$164 ₹15.9K

179.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$660 ₹63.9K

218.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$402 ₹38.9K

195.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$2,189 ₹211.8K

59.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$982 ₹95.1K

153.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$1,166 ₹112.8K

-57.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.69

-35.90%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Pune: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Pune

$164 29.9% 64.2% $294

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Pune

$120 21.9% 55.2% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Pune

$51 9.3% 59.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Pune

$64 11.7% 48.7% $61

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Pune

$99 18.1% 16.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Pune

$31 5.7% 54.4% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Pune

$19 3.5% 51.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $257 in Pune. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pune pays 133% 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 $17.00 in Pune for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $120 per month, with Pune cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Pune

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

12:12 12:12 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,115,431

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Pune 2,900 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Pune

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 Pune: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pune is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 121% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 133% lower in Pune. 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: $735 in Phuket versus $257 in Pune. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $129 in Pune. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 123% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $539 in Pune versus $1,190 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 121% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.