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: $1,264 in Phuket versus $446 in Vijayawada.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,256 in Phuket versus $721 in Vijayawada.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,248 in Phuket versus $997 in Vijayawada.

Living in Phuket is roughly 184% more expensive than in Vijayawada, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 5% lower, Vijayawada 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ฿150

$1.75 ₹167

156.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.59 ฿1,521

$11.56 ₹1,103

294.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿292

$4.62 ₹440

89.61%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ฿99.0

$3.90 ₹372

-23.85%

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

$0.69 ฿22.90

$0.45 ₹43.31

53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿13.04

$0.22 ₹21.01

77.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.4

$2.29 ₹218

10.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 ฿125

$2.44 ₹233

53.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 ฿71.6

$0.84 ₹80.1

155.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ฿60.6

$0.52 ₹49.98

250.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 ฿72.9

$0.69 ₹65.7

215.94%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.0

$0.89 ₹85.0

152.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.00 ฿667

$6.50 ₹620

207.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿121

$3.10 ₹295

17.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ฿452

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 ฿108

$2.21 ₹210

46.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿54.6

$0.88 ₹83.8

86.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿77.8

$0.95 ₹90.6

145.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.1

$0.45 ₹42.94

360.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.6

$0.40 ₹38.45

287.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.54

$0.38 ₹36.69

284.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.86

$0.72 ₹68.7

36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.09

$0.34 ₹32.41

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿145

$3.93 ₹375

10.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.57 ฿620

$7.37 ₹703

151.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿61.9

$2.60 ₹248

-28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿88.6

$3.19 ₹304

-16.93%

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

$4.34 ₹414

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿47.28

$0.28 ₹26.36

407.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.57 ฿386

$7.10 ₹677

62.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ฿106

$1.76 ₹168

80.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ฿34.41

$0.50 ₹47.58

106.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 ฿463

$2.29 ₹218

506.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.84

$1.28 ₹122

4.69%

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

$27.8K ฿927.1K

$17.3K ₹1.6M

60.90%

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

$33.4K ฿1.1M

$22.8K ₹2.2M

46.59%

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

$123 ฿4,105

$28.32 ₹2,701

334.50%

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

$13.77 ฿459

$3.72 ₹355

270.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.33 ฿611

$8.05 ₹768

127.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 ฿2,025

$19.96 ₹1,903

204.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 ฿573

$11.92 ₹1,137

43.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ฿296

$3.54 ₹338

150.56%

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

$688 ฿22.9K

$75.8 ₹7,225

807.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿526.4K

$1,809 ₹172.5K

772.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 ฿1,978

$24.65 ₹2,351

140.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.69 ฿1,157

$25.47 ₹2,430

36.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,843

$42.13 ₹4,018

173.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 ฿2,794

$43.17 ₹4,117

94.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 ฿20.7K

$136 ₹13.0K

355.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.9K

$84.7 ₹8,079

426.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 ฿67.8K

$324 ₹30.9K

527.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 ฿49.9K

$219 ₹20.9K

582.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,455 ฿115.3K

$687 ₹65.6K

402.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,531 ฿84.4K

$397 ₹37.8K

538.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

$306 ₹29.1K

61.52%

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: July 27, 2026

Last update for Vijayawada: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $621 in Phuket and $136 in Vijayawada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 62% 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: $46.00 in Phuket vs $12.00 in Vijayawada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $120 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 184% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 62% 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: $621 in Phuket versus $136 in Vijayawada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Phuket versus $75.8 in Vijayawada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 142% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $446 in Vijayawada versus $1,264 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 184% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.