Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ratlam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratlam: $316 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Ratlam
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Ratlam Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ratlam

🇮🇳 India

$316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ratlam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $316 in Ratlam.

Phuket $1,278
Ratlam $316

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $463 in Ratlam.

Phuket $2,216
Ratlam $463

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $610 in Ratlam.

Phuket $3,154
Ratlam $610

Living in Phuket is roughly 304% more expensive than in Ratlam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ratlam 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.16 ₹206

106.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$6.14 ₹585

427.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.60 ₹248

238.85%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.54 ₹146

83.77%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.35 ₹32.99

148.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.14 ₹13.48

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.97 ₹188

29.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.12 ₹297

17.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.60 ₹57.2

176.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.41 ₹38.96

256.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.65 ₹61.5

130.77%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.83 ₹79.5

151.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$5.04 ₹480

278.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.06 ₹196

60.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.09 ₹199

40.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.39 ₹37.12

333.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.03 ₹98.3

118.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.40 ₹38.54

420.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.16 ₹14.94

843.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.20 ₹19.01

590.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.22 ₹20.97

386.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.33 ₹31.70

57.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.68 ₹255

56.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.78 ₹741

141.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.60 ₹152

13.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.58 ₹245

10.08%

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

$5.48 ₹521

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.71 ₹67.5

325.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.18 ₹17.22

466.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.34 ₹127

175.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.09 ₹104

34.86%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$20.9K ₹2.0M

27.98%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$23.2K ₹2.2M

15.15%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$26.04 ₹2,479

270.01%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.09 ₹389

175.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$5.27 ₹502

219.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$5.40 ₹514

1145.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.10 ₹295

141.94%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$65.7 ₹6,257

624.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$994 ₹94.7K

1032.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$7.27 ₹692

757.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$8.54 ₹813

232.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$15.82 ₹1,506

496.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$26.47 ₹2,520

224.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$125 ₹11.9K

473.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$85.0 ₹8,098

477.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$156 ₹14.9K

1135.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$134 ₹12.8K

968.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,303 ₹219.3K

81.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$675 ₹64.3K

351.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$389 ₹37.0K

29.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.73

-36.20%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ratlam: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ratlam

$85 26.9% 82.7% $406

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ratlam

$95 30% 64.4% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ratlam

$35 11.2% 71.6% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ratlam

$26 8.3% 78.5% $96

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ratlam

$62 19.5% 49.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ratlam

$12 3.7% 85.9% $71

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ratlam

$1.6 * 0.5% 97.7% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

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

Phuket pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $6 in Ratlam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $95 per month, with Ratlam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Ratlam

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

22:15 10:15 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

100,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Ratlam 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ratlam

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 Ratlam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ratlam is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 304% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Phuket, 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 Ratlam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $66 in Ratlam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ratlam – a meal for two runs $6 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $316 in Ratlam versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ratlam but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ratlam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Ratlam are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Ratlam wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.