Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Varkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $385 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$385

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Varkala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $385 in Varkala.

Phuket $1,208
Varkala $385

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $612 in Varkala.

Phuket $2,027
Varkala $612

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $839 in Varkala.

Phuket $2,845
Varkala $839

Living in Phuket is roughly 214% more expensive than in Varkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Varkala 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.37 ₹225

85.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$10.35 ₹983

211.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$3.51 ₹333

149.57%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.59 ₹151

77.99%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.37 ₹35.47

143.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.14 ₹13.74

235.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.76 ₹167

44.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.05 ₹290

25.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.65 ₹61.9

166.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.49 ₹46.20

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.71 ₹67.1

112.68%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$0.94 ₹89.0

130.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$5.13 ₹487

284.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.04 ₹289

9.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.04 ₹194

39.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.70 ₹66.4

142.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$0.94 ₹89.0

132.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.53 ₹50.4

286.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.36 ₹33.96

302.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.45 ₹42.91

206.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.45 ₹42.97

137.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.31 ₹29.84

64.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.85 ₹366

10.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.50 ₹712

147.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.79 ₹170

-0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.80 ₹266

1.79%

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

$5.36 ₹509

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.28 ₹26.45

707.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$8.66 ₹823

155.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.79 ₹75.2

281.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.25 ₹23.73

324.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$1.47 ₹140

162.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.23 ₹116

17.89%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$14.1K ₹1.3M

86.32%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$22.0K ₹2.1M

22.31%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$38.61 ₹3,666

149.62%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$3.52 ₹334

213.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$7.28 ₹691

135.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$16.16 ₹1,534

222.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.04 ₹668

58.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$2.92 ₹277

167.47%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$51.7 ₹4,906

976.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$1,531 ₹145.4K

656.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$23.84 ₹2,264

169.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$25.34 ₹2,406

13.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$42.87 ₹4,070

122.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$30.88 ₹2,932

184.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$126 ₹12.0K

483.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$74.7 ₹7,094

518.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$269 ₹25.6K

678.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$179 ₹17.0K

572.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,076 ₹102.2K

224.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$607 ₹57.6K

315.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.67

-35.76%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Varkala: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Varkala

$75 19.4% 83.8% $388

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Varkala

$106 27.6% 60.4% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Varkala

$49 12.8% 60.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Varkala

$55 14.4% 55.5% $69

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Varkala

$66 17% 45.9% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Varkala

$22 5.7% 67.5% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Varkala

$12 3.1% 70% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $126 in Varkala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $10.00 in Varkala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $106 per month, with Varkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Varkala

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

01:33 1:33 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

50,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Varkala 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Varkala

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 Varkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varkala is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 214% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $578 in Varkala to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $126 in Varkala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $51.7 in Varkala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 152% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $385 in Varkala versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varkala but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Varkala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Varkala 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 Varkala 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 Varkala 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.