Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vijayawada Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vijayawada

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $431 in Vijayawada.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $703 in Vijayawada.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $975 in Vijayawada.

Living in Phuket is roughly 186% more expensive than Vijayawada, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Vijayawada 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$1.72 ₹163

169.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$11.50 ₹1,092

307.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$4.71 ₹447

87.69%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$3.77 ₹357

-20.42%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.45 ₹43.17

64.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.20 ₹19.20

85.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$2.32 ₹220

5.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.57 ₹244

40.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$0.87 ₹82.5

159.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.51 ₹48.74

260.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.68 ₹64.6

229.41%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$0.89 ₹84.3

160.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$6.53 ₹620

201.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$3.01 ₹285

21.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.21 ₹209

53.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$0.87 ₹82.3

88.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$0.93 ₹88.5

159.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$0.49 ₹46.30

314.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.40 ₹38.13

290.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.39 ₹36.58

284.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.67 ₹63.8

52.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.34 ₹31.92

44.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$4.06 ₹385

9.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$6.18 ₹587

205.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$2.51 ₹238

-29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$3.21 ₹305

-14.33%

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

$4.32 ₹410

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.28 ₹26.26

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$7.38 ₹700

55.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$1.69 ₹161

84.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.53 ₹50.6

88.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$2.27 ₹216

520.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.22 ₹116

10.66%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$17.6K ₹1.7M

54.30%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$22.6K ₹2.1M

45.61%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$27.82 ₹2,641

349.25%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$3.63 ₹344

273.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$8.22 ₹780

125.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$20.10 ₹1,908

205.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$11.95 ₹1,134

40.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$3.54 ₹336

159.60%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$75.9 ₹7,206

819.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$1,787 ₹169.6K

772.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$24.28 ₹2,305

137.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$25.59 ₹2,429

37.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$41.76 ₹3,965

170.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$42.97 ₹4,080

101.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$139 ₹13.2K

343.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$87.6 ₹8,321

408.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$320 ₹30.3K

540.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$216 ₹20.5K

591.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$707 ₹67.1K

434.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$389 ₹36.9K

580.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$300 ₹28.5K

74.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

10.8

-50.65%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Vijayawada: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $139 in Vijayawada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 75% 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: $47.00 in Phuket vs $12.00 in Vijayawada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $117 per month, with Vijayawada 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 Vijayawada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vijayawada is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 186% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Phuket pays 75% more on average, 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: $616 in Phuket versus $139 in Vijayawada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $75.9 in Vijayawada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 149% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $431 in Vijayawada versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vijayawada but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Vijayawada the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Vijayawada 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 Vijayawada 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 Vijayawada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 186% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.