Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sambalpur

For one person, living is cheaper in Sambalpur: $329 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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 Sambalpur
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Sambalpur Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sambalpur

🇮🇳 India

$329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sambalpur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $329 in Sambalpur.

Phuket $1,278
Sambalpur $329

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $523 in Sambalpur.

Phuket $2,216
Sambalpur $523

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $717 in Sambalpur.

Phuket $3,154
Sambalpur $717

Living in Phuket is roughly 289% more expensive than in Sambalpur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sambalpur 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.05 ₹195

118.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$5.14 ₹490

530.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.38 ₹227

270.17%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.45 ₹138

95.17%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.22 ₹20.99

295.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.11 ₹10.69

345.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.19 ₹113

115.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.11 ₹296

18.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.54 ₹51.8

207.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.48 ₹45.59

204.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.57 ₹54.4

163.16%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$0.85 ₹81.4

145.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$3.21 ₹306

494.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.37 ₹226

39.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.07 ₹197

41.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.71 ₹67.2

138.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.29 ₹123

74.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.47 ₹45.18

342.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.28 ₹26.62

439.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.40 ₹38.28

245.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.50 ₹47.20

114.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.32 ₹30.55

62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.24 ₹309

29.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$8.10 ₹772

131.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.19 ₹113

52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.43 ₹232

16.87%

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

$5.80 ₹552

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.55 ₹52.6

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$13.36 ₹1,272

324.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.03 ₹98.1

193.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.14 ₹13.04

628.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$1.08 ₹103

241.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.93 ₹88.1

58.06%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$6,854 ₹652.6K

290.69%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$14.0K ₹1.3M

91.02%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$33.88 ₹3,225

184.39%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.35 ₹319

236.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$6.21 ₹591

171.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$20.96 ₹1,996

220.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$3.64 ₹347

194.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.24 ₹308

131.48%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$66.1 ₹6,296

619.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$2,326 ₹221.4K

384.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$17.75 ₹1,690

251.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$25.42 ₹2,420

11.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$47.32 ₹4,505

99.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$21.97 ₹2,091

290.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$58.6 ₹5,583

1120.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$41.62 ₹3,962

1079.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$175 ₹16.7K

998.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$128 ₹12.1K

1021.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$605 ₹57.6K

590.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$534 ₹50.8K

470.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$369 ₹35.1K

36.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-38.11%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sambalpur: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sambalpur

$42 12.7% 91.5% $449

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sambalpur

$94 28.6% 64.7% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sambalpur

$43 13.2% 65.1% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sambalpur

$51 15.4% 58.5% $71

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sambalpur

$54 16.6% 55.2% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sambalpur

$27 8.3% 66.6% $55

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sambalpur

$17 5.3% 75.5% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $59 in Sambalpur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 36% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $5 in Sambalpur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $94 per month, with Sambalpur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Sambalpur

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

05:43 5:43 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

184,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.21 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sambalpur 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sambalpur

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 Sambalpur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sambalpur is about 74% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $59 in Sambalpur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $66 in Sambalpur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 183% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $329 in Sambalpur versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sambalpur but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sambalpur 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 Sambalpur 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.