Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shimla

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $310 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shimla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $310 in Shimla.

Phuket $1,278
Shimla $310

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $504 in Shimla.

Phuket $2,216
Shimla $504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $698 in Shimla.

Phuket $3,154
Shimla $698

Living in Phuket is roughly 312% more expensive than in Shimla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Shimla 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.56 ₹148

186.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$10.47 ₹994

209.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.09 ₹294

185.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$0.92 ₹87.1

207.61%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.34 ₹32.11

155.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.11 ₹10.39

345.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.64 ₹156

56.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.07 ₹196

77.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.67 ₹64.0

147.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.42 ₹40.24

247.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.63 ₹60.2

138.10%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.89 ₹84.8

134.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.33 ₹411

340.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.18 ₹302

3.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.87 ₹178

56.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.76 ₹71.9

122.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.63 ₹60.0

257.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.48 ₹45.38

333.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.30 ₹28.64

403.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.36 ₹34.25

283.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.22 ₹20.93

386.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.27 ₹25.55

92.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.38 ₹321

24.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.57 ₹813

119.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.54 ₹147

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.04 ₹194

39.22%

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

$3.80 ₹361

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.22 ₹20.92

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$7.84 ₹745

622.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.07 ₹102

182.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.34 ₹31.84

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.02 ₹97.2

261.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.09 ₹104

34.86%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$8,462 ₹803.4K

216.43%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$18.1K ₹1.7M

47.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$18.17 ₹1,725

430.27%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.13 ₹297

259.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$7.02 ₹667

140.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$13.85 ₹1,315

385.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.63 ₹1,009

0.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.07 ₹291

144.30%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$42.11 ₹3,998

1030.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$2,173 ₹206.3K

418.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$24.76 ₹2,351

151.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$21.97 ₹2,086

29.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$39.31 ₹3,732

139.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$26.41 ₹2,507

224.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$86.4 ₹8,198

729.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$53.3 ₹5,060

821.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$199 ₹18.9K

868.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$125 ₹11.9K

1045.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$563 ₹53.4K

642.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$563 ₹53.4K

441.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$612 ₹58.1K

-17.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.25

-32.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shimla: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Shimla

$53 17.2% 89.1% $438

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Shimla

$99 32.1% 62.6% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Shimla

$28 9.1% 77.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shimla

$51 16.3% 58.5% $71

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shimla

$47 15.1% 61.5% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Shimla

$20 6.5% 75.7% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Shimla

$11 3.7% 83.7% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $86 in Shimla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shimla pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $10 in Shimla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $99 per month, with Shimla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Shimla

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

10:00 10:00 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

170,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Shimla 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shimla

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 Shimla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shimla is about 76% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $86 in Shimla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $42 in Shimla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 168% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $310 in Shimla versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shimla but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shimla 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Shimla are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Shimla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.