Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Thanjavur

For one person, living is cheaper in Thanjavur: $369 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Thanjavur
Learn more

Thanjavur Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Thanjavur

🇮🇳 India

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Thanjavur

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $369 in Thanjavur.

Phuket $1,278
Thanjavur $369

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $579 in Thanjavur.

Phuket $2,216
Thanjavur $579

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $789 in Thanjavur.

Phuket $3,154
Thanjavur $789

Living in Phuket is roughly 247% more expensive than in Thanjavur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Thanjavur 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.88 ₹178

137.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$6.60 ₹627

391.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.15 ₹394

112.29%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.81 ₹171

56.35%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.37 ₹34.86

135.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.17 ₹16.06

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.76 ₹72.5

236.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.08 ₹292

19.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.55 ₹52.6

201.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.51 ₹48.82

186.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.60 ₹57.1

150.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.60 ₹57.3

248.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.25 ₹593

205.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.15 ₹204

53.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.80 ₹265

4.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.82 ₹78.0

106.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.45 ₹138

55.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.42 ₹39.94

395.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.44 ₹42.14

243.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.40 ₹37.80

245.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.54 ₹50.9

98.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.30 ₹28.62

73.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.39 ₹322

23.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.25 ₹689

159.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.32 ₹126

37.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.81 ₹267

1.07%

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

$6.52 ₹619

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.20 ₹19.38

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$7.29 ₹692

677.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.02 ₹96.8

196.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.31 ₹29.30

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.11 ₹201

74.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.09 ₹104

34.86%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

135.01%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$20.4K ₹1.9M

30.65%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$38.70 ₹3,675

148.97%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.93 ₹373

186.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$7.95 ₹755

111.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$14.45 ₹1,372

365.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.73 ₹639

59.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.31 ₹220

224.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$86.5 ₹8,208

450.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$2,160 ₹205.1K

421.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$20.45 ₹1,942

204.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$16.83 ₹1,598

68.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$35.36 ₹3,357

166.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$26.20 ₹2,488

227.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$122 ₹11.6K

485.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$76.2 ₹7,233

544.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$262 ₹24.9K

635.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$184 ₹17.5K

676.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$823 ₹78.2K

407.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$605 ₹57.4K

403.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$209 ₹19.8K

140.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.99

-44.24%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Thanjavur: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Thanjavur

$76 20.7% 84.5% $415

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Thanjavur

$106 28.9% 60% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Thanjavur

$51 13.7% 59.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Thanjavur

$44 12.1% 63.5% $77

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Thanjavur

$61 16.6% 49.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Thanjavur

$19 5.2% 76.8% $63

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Thanjavur

$11 2.9% 84.9% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $122 in Thanjavur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.4 times 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 $7 in Thanjavur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $106 per month, with Thanjavur cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Thanjavur

🕒 Local time

11:34 11:34 AM

10:04 10:04 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

223,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.94 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Thanjavur 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Thanjavur

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 Thanjavur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thanjavur is about 71% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.4 times higher, 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 $122 in Thanjavur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $86 in Thanjavur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 150% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $369 in Thanjavur versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 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.

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 Thanjavur are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Thanjavur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.