Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tenali Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tenali

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $371 in Tenali.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $557 in Tenali.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $743 in Tenali.

Living in Phuket is roughly 232% more expensive than Tenali, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Tenali 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$2.38 ₹226

94.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$5.75 ₹546

714.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$5.31 ₹504

66.48%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.01 ₹191

49.25%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.45 ₹42.29

64.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.13 ₹12.44

184.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$2.12 ₹202

15.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$3.41 ₹323

5.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$0.83 ₹78.8

172.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.45 ₹42.48

308.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.71 ₹67.4

215.49%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$0.87 ₹82.4

166.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$5.85 ₹555

236.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$2.57 ₹244

42.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$1.87 ₹178

81.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$0.77 ₹73.5

112.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$0.91 ₹86.6

164.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$0.51 ₹48.07

298.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.46 ₹43.73

239.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.52 ₹49.51

188.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.66 ₹62.8

54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.28 ₹26.38

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$2.29 ₹218

94.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$8.67 ₹824

117.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.96 ₹186

-9.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.89 ₹274

-4.84%

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

$5.94 ₹564

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.43 ₹40.41

225.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$8.90 ₹845

28.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$0.69 ₹65.2

352.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$1.60 ₹152

780.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.25 ₹119

8.00%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$17.7K ₹1.7M

53.62%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$24.1K ₹2.3M

36.40%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$39.47 ₹3,747

216.65%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$3.10 ₹294

337.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$7.19 ₹683

157.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$8.04 ₹763

664.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$11.52 ₹1,094

46.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$2.28 ₹216

303.07%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$17.17 ₹1,631

3966.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$2,602 ₹247.1K

499.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$14.64 ₹1,390

294.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$19.95 ₹1,894

76.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$31.60 ₹3,000

257.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$20.52 ₹1,948

320.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$87.9 ₹8,349

600.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$68.7 ₹6,525

548.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$187 ₹17.7K

996.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$135 ₹12.8K

1007.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$914 ₹86.8K

313.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$472 ₹44.8K

461.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$372 ₹35.3K

40.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

-33.38%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Tenali: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $87.9 in Tenali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 41% 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: $47.00 in Phuket vs $6.00 in Tenali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $111 per month, with Tenali 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 Tenali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tenali is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 232% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Phuket pays 41% more on average, 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: $616 in Phuket versus $87.9 in Tenali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $17.17 in Tenali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 163% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $371 in Tenali versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tenali but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tenali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tenali 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 Tenali 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 Tenali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 232% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.