Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat: $799 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
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Surat Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Surat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $799 in Surat.

Phuket $1,278
Surat $799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $853 in Surat.

Phuket $2,216
Surat $853

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $906 in Surat.

Phuket $3,154
Surat $906

Living in Phuket is roughly 60% more expensive than in Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Surat 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.14 ₹298

42.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$10.59 ₹1,007

206.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.22 ₹306

173.60%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.76 ₹167

60.80%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.39 ₹37.19

123.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.14 ₹13.61

250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.21 ₹305

-20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.39 ₹323

8.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.72 ₹68.3

130.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.46 ₹43.86

217.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.72 ₹68.6

108.33%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.90 ₹85.7

132.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$4.63 ₹440

311.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.74 ₹261

20.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.67 ₹159

75.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.57 ₹54.6

196.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.76 ₹72.0

196.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.55 ₹52.2

278.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.39 ₹36.84

287.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.43 ₹41.06

220.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.46 ₹44.22

132.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.30 ₹28.09

73.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.94 ₹470

-14.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.81 ₹743

140.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.86 ₹177

-2.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.05 ₹290

-6.89%

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

$6.18 ₹588

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.20 ₹19.02

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$3.21 ₹306

1665.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.56 ₹53.6

439.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.22 ₹20.94

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.08 ₹102

241.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.13 ₹108

30.09%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

135.48%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$18.3K ₹1.7M

45.65%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$36.87 ₹3,507

161.32%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.56 ₹338

216.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$7.44 ₹707

126.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$18.56 ₹1,765

262.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.45 ₹518

96.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.98 ₹284

151.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$32.79 ₹3,118

1351.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$937 ₹89.1K

1102.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$22.65 ₹2,154

175.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$24.76 ₹2,354

14.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$40.73 ₹3,874

131.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$32.31 ₹3,073

165.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$208 ₹19.8K

244.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$484 ₹46.0K

1.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$387 ₹36.8K

397.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$241 ₹23.0K

492.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$645 ₹61.3K

547.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$364 ₹34.6K

737.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$319 ₹30.3K

57.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.17

-39.26%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Surat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Surat

$484 60.6% 1.4% $6.8

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Surat

$102 12.8% 61.7% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Surat

$48 6% 61.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Surat

$54 6.8% 55.5% $68

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Surat

$81 10.1% 33.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Surat

$25 3.1% 70.2% $58

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Surat

$5.7 0.7% 92% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $208 in Surat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 57% 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 $11 in Surat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $102 per month, with Surat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

16:33 4:33 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

6,936,534

💱 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 Surat 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Surat

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 Surat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 60% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 57% 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 $208 in Surat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $33 in Surat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 161% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $799 in Surat versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Surat but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Surat 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 Surat 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 Surat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.