Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Varanasi Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Varanasi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $304 in Varanasi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $512 in Varanasi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $720 in Varanasi.

Living in Phuket is roughly 305% more expensive than Varanasi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Varanasi 77% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$2.28 ₹216

103.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$8.82 ₹837

431.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$3.58 ₹340

146.93%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$1.55 ₹148

93.55%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.33 ₹31.34

124.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.11 ₹10.58

236.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$1.72 ₹163

41.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.27 ₹216

59.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$0.64 ₹60.6

253.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.37 ₹34.68

397.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.53 ₹50.3

322.64%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$0.95 ₹89.9

144.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$3.61 ₹343

444.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$2.57 ₹244

42.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$1.50 ₹143

126.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$0.66 ₹62.2

148.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$0.87 ₹82.3

177.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$0.38 ₹36.12

434.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.27 ₹25.61

477.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.27 ₹25.73

455.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.35 ₹33.19

191.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.31 ₹29.54

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$2.92 ₹277

52.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$5.66 ₹537

233.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.72 ₹163

3.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.62 ₹249

4.96%

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

$4.67 ₹443

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.56 ₹53.6

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$10.57 ₹1,004

8.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$0.20 ₹18.97

1460.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.12 ₹11.05

733.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$1.19 ₹113

1084.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.16 ₹110

16.38%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$14.0K ₹1.3M

94.05%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$20.6K ₹2.0M

60.19%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$13.87 ₹1,317

801.08%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$3.71 ₹352

265.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$5.50 ₹523

236.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$12.43 ₹1,180

394.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$5.83 ₹554

188.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$3.00 ₹285

206.33%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$56.8 ₹5,392

1129.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$933 ₹88.6K

1571.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$22.89 ₹2,174

152.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$24.11 ₹2,289

46.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$40.07 ₹3,804

182.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$24.97 ₹2,371

245.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$130 ₹12.3K

373.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$53.0 ₹5,033

741.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$244 ₹23.2K

738.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$154 ₹14.6K

869.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$576 ₹54.7K

556.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$337 ₹31.9K

687.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$589 ₹56.0K

-11.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

8.72

-38.88%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $130 in Varanasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varanasi pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $9.00 in Varanasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $88.0 per month, with Varanasi 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 Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varanasi is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 305% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Varanasi earns 13% less. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $616 in Phuket versus $130 in Varanasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $56.8 in Varanasi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 232% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $304 in Varanasi versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varanasi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Varanasi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Varanasi 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 Varanasi 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 Varanasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 305% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.