Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Thrissur Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Thrissur

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $380 in Thrissur.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $574 in Thrissur.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $768 in Thrissur.

Living in Phuket is roughly 233% more expensive than in Thrissur, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$1.29 ₹124

261.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$8.21 ₹785

292.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$3.89 ₹371

123.14%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$1.34 ₹128

116.42%

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

$0.84 ฿27.89

$0.44 ₹41.99

90.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.17 ₹16.11

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

$2.05 ₹196

20.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$3.52 ₹336

5.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$0.65 ₹62.0

190.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$0.58 ₹55.6

143.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$0.50 ₹47.67

224.00%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$0.94 ₹89.6

138.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$5.10 ₹487

289.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$2.76 ₹263

26.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$1.94 ₹186

49.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$0.73 ₹69.3

135.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$1.43 ₹137

58.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$0.43 ₹41.55

395.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$0.42 ₹40.59

250.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$0.37 ₹35.28

283.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$0.90 ₹86.0

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.31 ₹29.99

93.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$5.16 ₹493

-16.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

$3.08 ₹294

503.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

$2.03 ₹194

-11.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

$3.80 ₹363

-21.84%

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

$3.55 ₹339

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$0.20 ₹19.09

1025.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

$7.08 ₹676

231.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$1.63 ₹156

90.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$0.52 ₹49.36

107.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$1.09 ₹104

255.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.10 ₹106

30.00%

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

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$15.8K ₹1.5M

76.20%

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

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$18.8K ₹1.8M

43.53%

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

$105 ฿3,462

$54.4 ₹5,196

92.72%

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

$11.39 ฿376

$3.00 ₹287

279.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$7.10 ₹678

147.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$11.56 ₹1,104

370.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

$10.80 ₹1,032

5.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$2.61 ₹249

198.08%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$60.8 ₹5,805

848.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$1,190 ₹113.7K

873.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$19.65 ₹1,877

223.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$15.21 ₹1,453

91.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$30.86 ₹2,948

211.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$27.90 ₹2,666

222.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$122 ₹11.7K

500.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$87.0 ₹8,313

475.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$301 ₹28.7K

607.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$179 ₹17.1K

600.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$3,366 ₹321.6K

4.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

$1,747 ₹166.9K

50.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

$305 ₹29.2K

66.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.83

-52.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Thrissur: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $122 in Thrissur. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 66% 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 $8.00 in Thrissur for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $102 per month, with Thrissur 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 Thrissur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thrissur is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 233% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 66% 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 $122 in Thrissur. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $60.8 in Thrissur. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 169% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $380 in Thrissur versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Thrissur but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Thrissur the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Thrissur 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 Thrissur 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 Thrissur gentler on the wallet – expenses run 233% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.