Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rupnagar

For one person, living is cheaper in Rupnagar: $338 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Rupnagar
Learn more

Rupnagar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Rupnagar

🇮🇳 India

$338

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rupnagar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $338 in Rupnagar.

Phuket $1,278
Rupnagar $338

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $545 in Rupnagar.

Phuket $2,216
Rupnagar $545

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $752 in Rupnagar.

Phuket $3,154
Rupnagar $752

Living in Phuket is roughly 278% more expensive than in Rupnagar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Rupnagar 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.20 ₹304

39.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$8.75 ₹832

270.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.12 ₹296

182.37%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.23 ₹117

130.08%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.33 ₹31.54

163.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.17 ₹16.10

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.25 ₹118

104.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.10 ₹200

75.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.55 ₹52.0

201.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.41 ₹38.59

256.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.55 ₹52.6

172.73%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.86 ₹81.6

143.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$5.34 ₹508

257.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.24 ₹213

47.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.28 ₹122

128.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.64 ₹60.8

164.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.51 ₹48.79

341.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.49 ₹46.68

324.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.32 ₹30.26

371.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.36 ₹34.02

283.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.64 ₹60.5

67.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.33 ₹31.40

57.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.00 ₹475

-16.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.30 ₹504

254.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.08 ₹103

68.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.86 ₹177

52.69%

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

$4.31 ₹410

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.19 ₹18.37

663.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$6.98 ₹664

711.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.03 ₹97.7

193.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.27 ₹25.80

277.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.13 ₹202

73.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.02 ₹96.7

44.12%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$7,351 ₹699.2K

264.24%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$15.9K ₹1.5M

67.73%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$37.73 ₹3,588

155.37%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$2.57 ₹245

338.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$5.29 ₹503

218.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$9.17 ₹872

633.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.06 ₹671

51.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.55 ₹243

194.12%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$45.47 ₹4,324

946.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,685 ₹160.2K

568.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$20.52 ₹1,951

203.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$24.70 ₹2,349

15.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$31.18 ₹2,965

202.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$25.75 ₹2,449

233.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$116 ₹11.0K

517.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$74.6 ₹7,093

558.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$295 ₹28.1K

553.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$193 ₹18.3K

643.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$816 ₹77.6K

411.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$593 ₹56.4K

413.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.12

-38.93%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rupnagar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Rupnagar

$75 22.1% 84.8% $416

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Rupnagar

$85 25.2% 68.1% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Rupnagar

$46 13.5% 63.4% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rupnagar

$46 13.6% 62.3% $76

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rupnagar

$62 18.4% 49% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Rupnagar

$14 4.2% 82.6% $68

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Rupnagar

$10 3% 85.6% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $116 in Rupnagar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $9 in Rupnagar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $85 per month, with Rupnagar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Rupnagar

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

57,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 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 = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Rupnagar 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rupnagar

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 Rupnagar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rupnagar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 278% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $507 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: $716 in Phuket versus $116 in Rupnagar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $45 in Rupnagar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 213% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $338 in Rupnagar versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 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.

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.

Expats usually find Rupnagar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.