Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shimla Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shimla

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Phuket versus $337 in Shimla.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,304 in Phuket versus $539 in Shimla.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,339 in Phuket versus $742 in Shimla.

Living in Phuket is roughly 277% more expensive than Shimla, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 5% lower, Shimla 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿150

$1.78 ₹167

161.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.44 ฿1,496

$5.90 ₹554

687.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿280

$3.56 ₹334

143.82%

Cappuccino

$2.95 ฿95.0

$0.93 ₹87.2

217.20%

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

$0.70 ฿22.52

$0.31 ₹29.53

125.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿12.70

$0.15 ₹14.11

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿81.6

$1.62 ₹152

56.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿122

$2.30 ₹216

64.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 ฿71.5

$0.75 ₹70.7

196.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 ฿57.8

$0.44 ₹41.38

309.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ฿70.4

$0.64 ₹59.8

242.19%

Eggs

$2.31 ฿74.5

$0.86 ₹80.3

168.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.34 ฿623

$4.36 ₹409

343.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ฿121

$3.70 ₹347

1.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ฿426

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 ฿107

$1.97 ₹185

69.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ฿53.1

$0.70 ₹65.5

135.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 ฿73.7

$0.82 ₹76.7

179.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ฿64.1

$0.56 ₹52.3

255.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.24

$0.35 ₹32.54

337.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 ฿48.77

$0.44 ₹41.34

243.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.12

$0.22 ₹20.63

368.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.57

$0.34 ₹31.54

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿142

$4.46 ₹418

-1.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.41 ฿625

$5.26 ₹494

269.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿58.0

$1.69 ₹159

6.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿86.4

$2.25 ₹211

19.11%

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

$5.91 ₹555

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 ฿46.11

$0.22 ₹20.53

550.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿377

$8.78 ₹824

33.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 ฿97.9

$0.83 ₹77.8

266.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿33.37

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.68 ฿441

$1.18 ₹110

1059.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ฿41.85

$1.19 ₹111

9.24%

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

$27.9K ฿898.9K

$15.0K ₹1.4M

86.61%

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

$19.7K ₹1.8M

67.82%

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

$123 ฿3,962

$19.05 ₹1,788

545.51%

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

$13.82 ฿445

$3.45 ₹324

300.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.86 ฿608

$7.69 ₹721

145.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 ฿1,970

$14.60 ₹1,370

318.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 ฿541

$7.20 ₹676

133.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ฿286

$3.44 ₹323

157.85%

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

$696 ฿22.4K

$46.07 ₹4,324

1411.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ฿517.4K

$2,352 ₹220.8K

582.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 ฿1,910

$33.31 ₹3,127

77.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.85 ฿1,123

$28.80 ₹2,704

21.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,646

$46.18 ₹4,334

145.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.1 ฿2,740

$29.10 ₹2,731

192.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$615 ฿19.8K

$94.6 ₹8,878

550.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 ฿14.4K

$58.3 ₹5,467

669.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 ฿67.2K

$223 ₹20.9K

836.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 ฿48.2K

$138 ₹13.0K

983.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,734 ฿120.3K

$955 ₹89.6K

291.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,662 ฿85.8K

$515 ₹48.3K

417.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 ฿17.2K

$577 ₹54.1K

-7.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

8.25

-35.39%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 20, 2026

Last update for Shimla: April 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $615 in Phuket and $95 in Shimla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shimla pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Phuket vs $6 in Shimla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $100 per month, with Shimla 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 Shimla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shimla is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 277% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Shimla earns 8% less. 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: $615 in Phuket versus $94.6 in Shimla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $696 in Phuket versus $46.07 in Shimla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 192% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $337 in Shimla versus $1,270 in Phuket, a $2,000 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.

For families, Shimla 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 Shimla 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 Shimla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 277% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.