Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vellore

For one person, living is cheaper in Vellore: $259 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
12

Cost of Living Index in Vellore
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Vellore Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Vellore

🇮🇳 India

$259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vellore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $259 in Vellore.

Phuket $1,278
Vellore $259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $450 in Vellore.

Phuket $2,216
Vellore $450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $640 in Vellore.

Phuket $3,154
Vellore $640

Living in Phuket is roughly 393% more expensive than in Vellore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Vellore 81% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.26 ₹119

254.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$7.09 ₹674

357.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.20 ₹209

300.45%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.05 ₹195

38.05%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.35 ₹33.63

148.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.11 ₹10.82

345.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.62 ₹154

58.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.07 ₹291

19.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.52 ₹49.66

219.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.55 ₹52.1

165.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.61 ₹57.5

145.90%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.78 ₹74.2

167.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$1.93 ₹183

888.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.34 ₹222

41.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.54 ₹146

90.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.71 ₹67.0

138.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.85 ₹80.4

164.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.27 ₹25.45

670.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.32 ₹30.76

371.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.39 ₹37.42

253.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.30 ₹28.25

256.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.28 ₹26.71

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.55 ₹147

170.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$3.88 ₹369

384.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.64 ₹156

10.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.47 ₹235

14.98%

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

$5.06 ₹481

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.24 ₹22.85

504.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$4.89 ₹464

1058.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.44 ₹42.01

586.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.30 ₹28.71

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.05 ₹100

251.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.06 ₹101

38.68%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$10.2K ₹965.2K

163.42%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$15.0K ₹1.4M

78.09%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$30.66 ₹2,911

214.25%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$3.98 ₹377

182.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$4.04 ₹384

317.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$8.39 ₹796

701.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$4.94 ₹469

117.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.31 ₹220

224.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$48.46 ₹4,602

882.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$1,435 ₹136.2K

685.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$8.52 ₹809

631.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$19.39 ₹1,841

46.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$21.63 ₹2,054

335.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$25.38 ₹2,410

238.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$57.8 ₹5,488

1138.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$30.91 ₹2,935

1488.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$171 ₹16.3K

1023.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$161 ₹15.3K

789.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,117 ₹106.0K

273.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$661 ₹62.8K

360.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$307 ₹29.2K

63.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.5

-14.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vellore: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Vellore

$31 11.9% 93.7% $460

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Vellore

$78 30% 70.8% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Vellore

$39 14.9% 68.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vellore

$34 13% 72.3% $88

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vellore

$57 22.2% 52.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Vellore

$13 5% 84.2% $69

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Vellore

$7.8 3% 88.9% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $58 in Vellore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 64% 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 in Phuket vs $7 in Vellore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $78 per month, with Vellore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇳 Vellore

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

10:49 10:49 AM

1 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

186,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Vellore 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vellore

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 Vellore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vellore is about 80% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 64% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $58 in Vellore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $48 in Vellore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 243% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $259 in Vellore versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Vellore but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Vellore 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 Vellore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.