Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rupnagar Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rupnagar

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,261 in Phuket versus $376 in Rupnagar.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,286 in Phuket versus $603 in Rupnagar.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,310 in Phuket versus $829 in Rupnagar.

Living in Phuket is roughly 235% more expensive than Rupnagar, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Rupnagar 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ฿150

$3.51 ₹335

29.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 ฿1,535

$9.65 ₹920

383.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 ฿279

$2.98 ₹284

184.23%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ฿99.7

$1.32 ₹126

129.55%

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

$0.69 ฿22.69

$0.36 ₹34.78

91.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.04

$0.22 ₹20.64

68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 ฿81.9

$1.35 ₹129

84.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿120

$2.30 ₹219

59.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ฿71.8

$0.60 ₹57.0

263.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ฿62.6

$0.44 ₹42.30

331.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ฿72.4

$0.60 ₹56.8

266.67%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿73.2

$0.88 ₹84.0

152.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.99 ฿658

$5.78 ₹551

245.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ฿121

$2.42 ₹230

51.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 ฿436

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿106

$1.42 ₹135

127.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿55.9

$0.69 ₹66.0

146.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ฿78.8

$0.60 ₹57.5

298.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.4

$0.63 ₹60.4

230.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿52.4

$0.39 ₹37.42

307.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.83

$0.42 ₹40.08

252.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.90

$0.69 ₹65.4

49.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.01

$0.34 ₹31.97

52.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ฿140

$4.59 ₹438

-7.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿618

$5.15 ₹491

264.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿57.8

$1.18 ₹113

49.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ฿90.8

$2.10 ₹200

31.43%

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

$4.63 ₹442

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ฿44.79

$0.28 ₹26.53

385.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿374

$8.83 ₹841

28.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ฿103

$1.17 ₹112

168.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿34.10

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 ฿453

$2.28 ₹217

503.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.26

$1.16 ₹110

15.52%

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

$27.7K ฿911.1K

$8,223 ₹784.0K

236.56%

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

$33.9K ฿1.1M

$17.7K ₹1.7M

90.91%

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

$124 ฿4,069

$53.6 ₹5,113

130.45%

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

$13.52 ฿445

$2.95 ₹281

358.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.69 ฿615

$5.98 ₹570

212.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.8 ฿2,035

$10.13 ₹966

510.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.25 ฿568

$7.09 ₹676

143.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.14 ฿301

$2.95 ₹281

209.83%

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

$703 ฿23.1K

$90.8 ₹8,657

673.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ฿522.5K

$1,650 ₹157.3K

862.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,958

$25.73 ₹2,453

131.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 ฿1,154

$26.75 ₹2,550

31.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,795

$35.57 ₹3,391

224.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 ฿2,767

$35.06 ₹3,342

139.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.4K

$123 ₹11.8K

401.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 ฿14.2K

$74.9 ₹7,145

477.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 ฿67.9K

$272 ₹25.9K

658.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 ฿49.7K

$177 ₹16.9K

754.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,646 ฿120.0K

$1,108 ₹105.7K

228.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,626 ฿86.4K

$452 ₹43.1K

481.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$507 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

8.95

-40.45%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 7, 2026

Last update for Rupnagar: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $123 in Rupnagar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $10.00 in Rupnagar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $92.0 per month, with Rupnagar 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 Rupnagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rupnagar is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 235% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,892 in Phuket and $564 in Rupnagar to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $619 in Phuket versus $123 in Rupnagar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $703 in Phuket versus $90.8 in Rupnagar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 219% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $376 in Rupnagar versus $1,261 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rupnagar but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rupnagar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Rupnagar 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 Rupnagar 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 Rupnagar 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.