Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Varanasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $293 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$293

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Varanasi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $293 in Varanasi.

Phuket $1,294
Varanasi $293

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $483 in Varanasi.

Phuket $2,204
Varanasi $483

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $672 in Varanasi.

Phuket $3,115
Varanasi $672

Living in Phuket is roughly 341% more expensive than in Varanasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Varanasi 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$1.89 ₹179

132.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$8.02 ₹760

302.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$3.21 ₹304

171.03%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.65 ₹156

64.85%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.41 ₹38.77

126.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.11 ₹10.11

354.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.62 ₹153

56.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.12 ₹201

71.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$0.66 ₹62.7

163.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.29 ₹27.25

400.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.54 ₹50.7

177.78%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$0.83 ₹78.6

161.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$3.28 ₹310

482.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$2.13 ₹202

59.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.43 ₹135

105.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.65 ₹61.3

160.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$0.89 ₹84.5

146.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$0.35 ₹32.74

505.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$0.26 ₹24.69

461.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$0.24 ₹22.73

470.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.46 ₹43.31

134.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.28 ₹26.59

96.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.20 ₹303

38.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$5.83 ₹553

213.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.61 ₹153

9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.98 ₹187

45.45%

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

$4.24 ₹402

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.55 ₹52.5

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$9.71 ₹920

465.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.24 ₹22.72

529.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.12 ₹10.98

550.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.04 ₹98.8

269.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.05 ₹99.9

41.90%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

138.54%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$22.2K ₹2.1M

18.62%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$12.68 ₹1,202

671.37%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$3.63 ₹344

211.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$6.84 ₹648

151.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$12.72 ₹1,205

437.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$2.91 ₹275

155.33%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$38.77 ₹3,673

1268.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$1,088 ₹103.1K

1626.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$23.62 ₹2,238

161.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$25.11 ₹2,379

12.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$38.81 ₹3,676

147.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$25.32 ₹2,398

242.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$114 ₹10.8K

532.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$46.99 ₹4,452

982.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$200 ₹18.9K

877.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$140 ₹13.3K

898.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$560 ₹53.0K

649.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$340 ₹32.2K

870.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$575 ₹54.4K

-14.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.53

-34.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Varanasi

$47 16% 90.8% $462

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Varanasi

$82 28% 69.3% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Varanasi

$23 7.9% 81.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Varanasi

$51 17.3% 58.6% $72

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Varanasi

$59 20.1% 50.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Varanasi

$19 6.3% 77.7% $65

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Varanasi

$13 4.4% 80.7% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $114 in Varanasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varanasi pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $8 in Varanasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $82 per month, with Varanasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

12:10 12:10 PM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,100,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.56 USD

1,000 INR = 9.44 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 94.73 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Varanasi 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Varanasi

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 Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varanasi is about 77% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Phuket. 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: $721 in Phuket versus $114 in Varanasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $39 in Varanasi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 226% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $293 in Varanasi versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 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.

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.

Expats usually find Varanasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.