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: $1,261 in Phuket versus $550 in Pune.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,078 in Phuket versus $876 in Pune.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,896 in Phuket versus $1,201 in Pune.

Living in Phuket is roughly 129% more expensive than in Pune, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Pune 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 ฿145

$4.07 ₹389

8.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.07 ฿1,151

$15.50 ₹1,483

126.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.96 ฿294

$5.20 ₹498

72.31%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.4

$2.29 ₹219

31.00%

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

$0.77 ฿25.33

$0.51 ₹48.49

50.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.44

$0.19 ₹18.17

147.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 ฿78.6

$2.66 ₹255

-9.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 ฿123

$4.04 ₹386

-7.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ฿59.8

$0.77 ₹73.6

136.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ฿46.65

$0.50 ₹47.84

184.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿50.8

$0.74 ₹71.2

109.46%

Eggs

$2.13 ฿69.9

$1.05 ₹101

102.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.76 ฿648

$6.03 ₹577

227.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿114

$3.14 ₹300

10.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ฿364

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿95.5

$2.53 ₹242

15.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ฿54.6

$0.69 ₹65.7

140.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿74.5

$1.74 ₹166

30.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ฿68.8

$0.49 ₹46.56

328.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.24

$0.44 ₹41.94

234.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 ฿46.29

$0.42 ₹40.49

235.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ฿35.78

$0.57 ₹54.7

91.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ฿17.58

$0.32 ₹30.66

68.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 ฿147

$4.93 ₹472

-9.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ฿614

$6.29 ₹602

197.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿60.4

$2.16 ₹207

-14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ฿96.7

$2.95 ₹282

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

$5.46 ₹523

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿74.1

$0.43 ₹41.37

425.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.07 ฿757

$12.61 ₹1,207

82.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 ฿99.9

$0.40 ₹38.56

660.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 ฿35.82

$0.25 ₹23.81

336.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ฿125

$2.12 ₹203

80.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿48.79

$1.08 ₹103

37.96%

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

$27.4K ฿900.3K

$12.8K ₹1.2M

114.34%

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

$27.5K ฿902.7K

$19.8K ₹1.9M

39.18%

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

$102 ฿3,340

$38.22 ₹3,658

166.38%

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

$11.28 ฿370

$3.76 ₹360

200.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.75 ฿582

$8.05 ₹771

120.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 ฿1,777

$21.70 ₹2,077

149.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.96 ฿360

$6.62 ₹634

65.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ฿258

$5.10 ₹488

53.92%

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

$577 ฿18.9K

$130 ₹12.5K

342.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿381.6K

$2,399 ₹229.6K

384.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 ฿2,144

$29.65 ₹2,837

120.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.89 ฿948

$26.91 ₹2,575

7.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 ฿3,250

$49.16 ₹4,705

101.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 ฿2,961

$35.56 ₹3,403

153.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ฿24.8K

$261 ₹25.0K

189.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 ฿16.0K

$173 ₹16.6K

180.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 ฿68.4K

$611 ₹58.4K

241.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ฿39.6K

$395 ₹37.8K

205.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,591 ฿117.8K

$2,171 ₹207.8K

65.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,610 ฿85.6K

$972 ₹93.0K

168.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.5K

$1,117 ₹106.9K

-55.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.79

-36.63%

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

Last update for Phuket: August 18, 2026

Last update for Pune: August 18, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Phuket and $261 in Pune. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pune pays 123% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Phuket vs $16.00 in Pune for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $117 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, Getting Around. The 129% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 123% 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: $756 in Phuket versus $261 in Pune. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $577 in Phuket versus $130 in Pune. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 132% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $550 in Pune versus $1,261 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 129% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.