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: $1,270 in Phuket versus $386 in Rupnagar.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,304 in Phuket versus $601 in Rupnagar.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,339 in Phuket versus $816 in Rupnagar.

Living in Phuket is roughly 229% more expensive than Rupnagar, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 5% lower, Rupnagar 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿150

$3.53 ₹331

32.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.44 ฿1,496

$9.65 ₹906

381.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿280

$2.96 ₹278

193.24%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ฿95.0

$1.37 ₹128

115.33%

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

$0.70 ฿22.52

$0.36 ₹34.08

94.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿12.70

$0.20 ₹18.63

95.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿81.6

$1.30 ₹122

94.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿122

$2.22 ₹208

70.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 ฿71.5

$0.60 ₹56.2

270.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 ฿57.8

$0.44 ₹41.55

309.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ฿70.4

$0.60 ₹56.2

265.00%

Eggs

$2.31 ฿74.5

$0.93 ₹87.1

148.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.34 ฿623

$5.94 ₹558

225.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ฿121

$2.40 ₹225

57.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ฿426

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 ฿107

$1.44 ₹135

131.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ฿53.1

$0.71 ₹66.5

132.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 ฿73.7

$0.61 ₹56.9

275.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ฿64.1

$0.63 ₹59.0

215.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.24

$0.39 ₹36.87

292.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿48.77

$0.39 ₹36.68

287.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.12

$0.74 ₹69.5

39.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.57

$0.36 ₹33.97

41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿142

$4.53 ₹425

-2.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.41 ฿625

$5.27 ₹495

268.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿58.0

$1.14 ₹107

57.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿86.4

$2.01 ₹189

33.33%

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

$4.75 ₹446

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 ฿46.11

$0.30 ₹28.36

376.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿377

$8.94 ₹840

30.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 ฿97.9

$1.14 ₹107

166.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿33.37

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.68 ฿441

$2.31 ₹217

492.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ฿41.85

$1.17 ₹110

11.11%

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

$27.9K ฿898.9K

$8,302 ₹779.2K

236.06%

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

$17.5K ₹1.6M

88.25%

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

$123 ฿3,962

$53.2 ₹4,988

131.36%

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

$13.82 ฿445

$2.89 ₹271

378.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.86 ฿608

$5.73 ₹538

229.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 ฿1,970

$9.93 ₹932

515.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 ฿541

$6.96 ₹653

141.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ฿286

$2.86 ₹268

210.14%

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

$696 ฿22.4K

$89.9 ₹8,440

674.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ฿517.4K

$1,697 ₹159.3K

846.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 ฿1,910

$26.57 ₹2,493

123.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 ฿1,123

$27.12 ₹2,546

28.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,646

$35.00 ₹3,285

223.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.1 ฿2,740

$34.67 ₹3,254

145.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$615 ฿19.8K

$126 ₹11.9K

386.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 ฿14.4K

$76.1 ₹7,145

489.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 ฿67.2K

$270 ₹25.3K

672.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 ฿48.2K

$182 ₹17.0K

723.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,734 ฿120.3K

$922 ₹86.5K

305.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,662 ฿85.8K

$579 ₹54.3K

360.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 ฿17.2K

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: April 20, 2026

Last update for Rupnagar: April 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $615 in Phuket and $126 in Rupnagar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46 in Phuket vs $10 in Rupnagar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $93 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 229% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,904 in Phuket and $579 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: $615 in Phuket versus $126 in Rupnagar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $696 in Phuket versus $89.9 in Rupnagar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 214% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $386 in Rupnagar versus $1,270 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 229% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.