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 $374 in Rupnagar.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,276 in Phuket versus $590 in Rupnagar.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,291 in Phuket versus $805 in Rupnagar.

Living in Phuket is roughly 237% more expensive than in Rupnagar, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ฿153

$3.55 ₹343

27.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.36 ฿1,562

$10.02 ₹968

362.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 ฿291

$2.90 ₹280

198.28%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ฿104

$1.35 ₹131

128.89%

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

$0.68 ฿22.85

$0.34 ₹32.35

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.41

$0.22 ₹20.86

68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.4

$1.33 ₹128

81.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ฿128

$2.20 ₹213

73.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ฿73.4

$0.64 ₹62.0

240.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ฿61.2

$0.44 ₹42.89

313.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 ฿73.3

$0.56 ₹53.8

289.29%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿75.3

$0.93 ₹90.0

140.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.93 ฿671

$5.73 ₹553

247.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ฿123

$2.50 ₹241

45.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ฿457

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ฿111

$1.44 ₹139

128.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$0.66 ₹64.0

156.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿78.6

$0.59 ₹57.0

294.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.3

$0.64 ₹61.8

217.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.37 ₹35.25

332.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ฿50.4

$0.39 ₹38.02

282.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿34.11

$0.70 ₹67.2

44.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$0.34 ₹32.54

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿150

$4.42 ₹427

0.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.63 ฿628

$5.24 ₹506

255.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿60.2

$1.17 ₹113

52.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ฿94.2

$2.08 ₹200

34.62%

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

$4.72 ₹456

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿47.81

$0.30 ₹29.02

373.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.33 ฿382

$8.47 ₹817

33.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ฿104

$1.19 ₹115

159.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.13

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.63 ฿459

$2.38 ₹230

472.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.15

$1.16 ₹112

12.93%

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

$27.3K ฿919.1K

$8,226 ₹794.3K

231.63%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$17.7K ₹1.7M

87.43%

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

$123 ฿4,149

$53.9 ₹5,207

128.37%

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

$13.81 ฿465

$2.93 ₹283

371.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿624

$5.94 ₹573

211.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ฿2,034

$10.06 ₹971

500.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 ฿566

$6.89 ₹666

143.83%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ฿299

$2.86 ₹276

210.84%

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

$687 ฿23.1K

$90.7 ₹8,760

656.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿523.9K

$1,686 ₹162.8K

822.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ฿1,942

$26.41 ₹2,550

118.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.66 ฿1,168

$27.26 ₹2,632

27.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,872

$34.50 ₹3,331

233.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 ฿2,860

$35.31 ₹3,409

140.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ฿20.8K

$123 ₹11.9K

400.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 ฿14.9K

$77.0 ₹7,436

475.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 ฿69.0K

$274 ₹26.5K

646.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 ฿50.7K

$181 ₹17.5K

730.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,568 ฿120.2K

$1,076 ₹103.9K

231.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,511 ฿84.6K

$518 ₹50.0K

384.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿16.9K

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: July 20, 2026

Last update for Rupnagar: July 19, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $618 in Phuket and $123 in Rupnagar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $10.00 in Rupnagar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 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 237% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,891 in Phuket and $562 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: $618 in Phuket versus $123 in Rupnagar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 in Phuket versus $90.7 in Rupnagar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 216% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $374 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 237% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.