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: $1,265 in Phuket versus $342 in Rupnagar.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $534 in Rupnagar.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $726 in Rupnagar.

Living in Phuket is roughly 270% more expensive than in Rupnagar, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Rupnagar 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$3.16 ₹302

47.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$8.63 ₹824

273.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$3.19 ₹305

172.10%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$1.17 ₹112

147.86%

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

$0.84 ฿27.89

$0.33 ₹31.61

154.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.16 ₹15.51

206.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

$1.19 ₹114

108.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$2.01 ₹192

85.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$0.58 ₹55.2

225.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$0.37 ₹35.55

281.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$0.55 ₹52.4

194.55%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$0.83 ₹79.5

169.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$5.38 ₹514

268.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$2.15 ₹205

61.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$1.30 ₹124

123.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$0.59 ₹56.0

191.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$0.51 ₹48.40

345.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$0.48 ₹46.00

343.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$0.34 ₹32.68

332.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$0.39 ₹37.08

264.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$0.62 ₹59.3

77.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.33 ₹31.56

81.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$5.18 ₹495

-16.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

$5.34 ₹510

248.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

$1.07 ₹102

68.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

$1.90 ₹181

56.32%

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

$4.13 ₹394

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$0.25 ₹23.84

800.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

$7.09 ₹677

231.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$1.08 ₹103

187.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$0.25 ₹23.64

332.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$2.13 ₹204

81.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.02 ₹97.3

40.20%

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

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$7,455 ₹712.3K

272.70%

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

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$16.1K ₹1.5M

67.84%

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

$105 ฿3,462

$38.55 ₹3,683

171.85%

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

$11.39 ฿376

$2.64 ₹253

331.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$5.36 ₹512

227.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$8.89 ₹849

511.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

$6.62 ₹632

72.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$2.68 ₹256

190.30%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$93.8 ₹8,960

514.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$1,701 ₹162.5K

580.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$22.07 ₹2,109

188.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$24.31 ₹2,322

19.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$31.30 ₹2,990

207.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$26.51 ₹2,533

239.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$124 ₹11.8K

492.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$73.7 ₹7,044

579.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$261 ₹25.0K

713.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$169 ₹16.2K

639.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$990 ₹94.6K

256.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

$510 ₹48.8K

413.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

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: September 6, 2026

Last update for Rupnagar: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $124 in Rupnagar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $9.00 in Rupnagar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $84.0 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, Getting Around. The 270% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $513 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: $733 in Phuket versus $124 in Rupnagar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $93.8 in Rupnagar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 226% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $342 in Rupnagar versus $1,265 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 270% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.