Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Thanjavur Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Thanjavur

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,264 in Phuket versus $406 in Thanjavur.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,256 in Phuket versus $641 in Thanjavur.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,248 in Phuket versus $876 in Thanjavur.

Living in Phuket is roughly 211% more expensive than in Thanjavur, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 5% lower, Thanjavur 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ฿150

$2.13 ₹204

110.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.59 ฿1,521

$7.34 ₹700

521.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿292

$3.96 ₹377

121.21%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ฿99.0

$2.10 ₹200

41.43%

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

$0.69 ฿22.90

$0.40 ₹37.75

72.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿13.04

$0.17 ₹16.12

129.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.4

$0.79 ₹75.7

220.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 ฿125

$4.17 ₹397

-10.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 ฿71.6

$0.58 ₹55.8

270.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ฿60.6

$0.50 ₹47.28

264.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 ฿72.9

$0.67 ₹64.0

225.37%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.0

$0.70 ₹67.1

221.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.00 ฿667

$7.01 ₹669

185.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.29 ₹219

58.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ฿452

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 ฿108

$2.82 ₹269

14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿54.6

$0.83 ₹79.2

97.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿77.8

$1.30 ₹124

79.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.1

$0.50 ₹47.70

314.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.6

$0.54 ₹51.6

187.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.54

$0.55 ₹52.6

165.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.86

$0.60 ₹57.1

63.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.09

$0.33 ₹31.05

45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿145

$3.75 ₹358

16.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.57 ฿620

$7.23 ₹690

156.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿61.9

$1.42 ₹135

30.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿88.6

$3.43 ₹327

-22.74%

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

$6.11 ₹583

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿47.28

$0.30 ₹28.67

373.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.57 ฿386

$8.97 ₹856

28.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ฿106

$1.14 ₹108

178.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ฿34.41

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 ฿463

$1.77 ₹169

684.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.84

$1.20 ₹115

11.67%

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

$27.8K ฿927.1K

$17.4K ₹1.7M

59.35%

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

$33.4K ฿1.1M

$23.9K ₹2.3M

39.52%

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

$123 ฿4,105

$46.12 ₹4,398

166.80%

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

$13.77 ฿459

$4.61 ₹440

198.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 ฿611

$9.82 ₹936

86.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 ฿2,025

$15.83 ₹1,510

283.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 ฿573

$6.91 ₹659

148.34%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ฿296

$2.94 ₹280

201.70%

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

$688 ฿22.9K

$81.4 ₹7,764

744.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿526.4K

$1,766 ₹168.4K

793.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 ฿1,978

$26.09 ₹2,488

127.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.69 ฿1,157

$22.89 ₹2,183

51.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,843

$50.9 ₹4,851

126.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 ฿2,794

$28.61 ₹2,728

192.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 ฿20.7K

$125 ₹11.9K

397.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.9K

$77.1 ₹7,354

478.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 ฿67.8K

$275 ₹26.2K

639.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 ฿49.9K

$179 ₹17.1K

734.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,455 ฿115.3K

$952 ₹90.8K

262.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,531 ฿84.4K

$592 ₹56.5K

327.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

$209 ₹19.9K

136.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

9.31

-42.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 27, 2026

Last update for Thanjavur: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $621 in Phuket and $125 in Thanjavur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 136% 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: $46.00 in Phuket vs $7.00 in Thanjavur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $113 per month, with Thanjavur 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 Thanjavur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thanjavur is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 211% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 136% 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: $621 in Phuket versus $125 in Thanjavur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Phuket versus $81.4 in Thanjavur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 157% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $406 in Thanjavur versus $1,264 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Thanjavur but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Thanjavur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Thanjavur 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 Thanjavur 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 Thanjavur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 211% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.