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: $1,261 in Phuket versus $409 in Thanjavur.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,286 in Phuket versus $634 in Thanjavur.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,310 in Phuket versus $859 in Thanjavur.

Living in Phuket is roughly 208% more expensive than Thanjavur, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Thanjavur 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ฿149

$2.07 ₹196

120.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 ฿1,519

$7.31 ₹695

537.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 ฿276

$4.01 ₹381

111.22%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ฿98.6

$2.19 ₹208

38.36%

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

$0.69 ฿22.45

$0.40 ₹37.80

72.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.92

$0.17 ₹16.53

117.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 ฿81.0

$0.79 ₹75.4

215.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿119

$4.14 ₹394

-11.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ฿71.0

$0.63 ₹60.2

246.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 ฿62.0

$0.52 ₹49.82

265.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 ฿71.6

$0.69 ₹65.6

218.84%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿72.4

$0.70 ₹66.1

217.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.99 ฿651

$6.96 ₹661

187.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ฿119

$2.19 ₹208

67.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 ฿432

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿105

$2.90 ₹276

11.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿55.3

$0.81 ₹77.4

109.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ฿78.0

$1.29 ₹123

85.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿67.7

$0.46 ₹43.40

352.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿51.8

$0.55 ₹52.2

189.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.31

$0.54 ₹51.4

174.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.54

$0.60 ₹56.9

71.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿16.83

$0.33 ₹30.93

57.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ฿138

$3.76 ₹357

13.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿612

$7.71 ₹733

143.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿57.2

$1.42 ₹135

23.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ฿89.8

$3.39 ₹322

-18.58%

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

$6.29 ₹598

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 ฿44.32

$0.28 ₹26.58

385.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿370

$8.61 ₹819

31.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 ฿102

$1.17 ₹111

168.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿33.74

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.77 ฿448

$1.72 ₹164

700.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿43.79

$1.17 ₹111

14.53%

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

$27.7K ฿901.4K

$17.4K ₹1.7M

59.29%

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

$33.9K ฿1.1M

$23.8K ₹2.3M

42.08%

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

$124 ฿4,025

$47.25 ₹4,494

161.57%

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

$13.52 ฿440

$4.83 ₹459

179.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.69 ฿609

$9.62 ₹915

94.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.8 ฿2,013

$15.69 ₹1,492

294.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.25 ฿562

$7.06 ₹672

144.33%

Cinema Ticket

$9.14 ฿298

$2.93 ₹278

211.95%

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

$703 ฿22.9K

$79.6 ₹7,570

782.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ฿517.0K

$1,759 ₹167.3K

802.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,937

$25.54 ₹2,429

132.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.07 ฿1,142

$22.52 ₹2,142

55.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,754

$50.3 ₹4,780

129.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 ฿2,737

$28.69 ₹2,728

192.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿20.1K

$125 ₹11.9K

395.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 ฿14.1K

$76.0 ₹7,227

469.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 ฿67.2K

$278 ₹26.5K

640.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,511 ฿49.2K

$178 ₹16.9K

749.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,646 ฿118.7K

$949 ₹90.3K

284.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,626 ฿85.5K

$551 ₹52.4K

376.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$507 ฿16.5K

$210 ₹19.9K

141.92%

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: June 7, 2026

Last update for Thanjavur: June 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $125 in Thanjavur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 142% 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 $7.00 in Thanjavur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $114 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 208% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Phuket pays 142% 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: $619 in Phuket versus $125 in Thanjavur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $703 in Phuket versus $79.6 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 $409 in Thanjavur versus $1,261 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 208% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.