Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Thiruvananthapuram Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Thiruvananthapuram

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $403 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $630 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $857 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Living in Phuket is roughly 214% more expensive than in Thiruvananthapuram, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Thiruvananthapuram 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$2.71 ₹259

71.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$10.54 ₹1,007

205.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$3.71 ₹354

133.96%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$1.94 ₹185

49.48%

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

$0.84 ฿27.89

$0.40 ₹37.83

110.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.19 ₹18.07

157.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

$2.13 ₹204

16.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$2.58 ₹247

44.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$0.53 ₹50.5

256.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$0.55 ₹52.1

156.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$0.60 ₹57.6

170.00%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$0.83 ₹79.2

169.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$5.33 ₹509

272.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$2.68 ₹256

29.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$2.34 ₹223

23.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$0.77 ₹73.4

123.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$1.21 ₹116

87.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$0.46 ₹43.48

363.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$0.45 ₹42.84

226.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$0.47 ₹44.67

202.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$0.55 ₹52.7

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.29 ₹27.57

106.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$4.42 ₹422

-2.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

$5.34 ₹510

248.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

$1.84 ₹176

-2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

$3.14 ₹300

-5.41%

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

$4.84 ₹462

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$0.20 ₹19.10

1025.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

$2.94 ₹280

698.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$1.76 ₹168

76.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$0.25 ₹23.65

332.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$2.59 ₹247

49.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.16 ₹110

23.28%

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

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$14.0K ₹1.3M

98.79%

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

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$30.8K ₹2.9M

-12.50%

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

$105 ฿3,462

$35.21 ₹3,364

197.64%

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

$11.39 ฿376

$3.43 ₹327

232.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$7.60 ₹726

130.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$14.32 ₹1,368

279.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

$7.55 ₹721

51.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$2.13 ₹204

265.26%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$38.23 ₹3,652

1407.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$2,130 ₹203.5K

443.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$21.42 ₹2,047

197.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$17.86 ₹1,706

62.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$36.59 ₹3,496

162.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$27.76 ₹2,652

224.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$180 ₹17.2K

307.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$101 ₹9,662

395.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$356 ₹34.0K

496.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$214 ₹20.4K

486.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$867 ₹82.8K

307.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

$455 ₹43.4K

476.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

$246 ₹23.5K

105.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.31

-45.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Thiruvananthapuram: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $180 in Thiruvananthapuram. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 106% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $11.00 in Thiruvananthapuram for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $103 per month, with Thiruvananthapuram 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 Thiruvananthapuram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thiruvananthapuram is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 214% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 106% 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: $733 in Phuket versus $180 in Thiruvananthapuram. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $38.23 in Thiruvananthapuram. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 166% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $403 in Thiruvananthapuram versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Thiruvananthapuram but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Thiruvananthapuram the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Thiruvananthapuram 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 Thiruvananthapuram 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 Thiruvananthapuram gentler on the wallet – expenses run 214% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.