Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Visakhapatnam Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Visakhapatnam

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $431 in Visakhapatnam.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $683 in Visakhapatnam.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $936 in Visakhapatnam.

Living in Phuket is roughly 190% more expensive than in Visakhapatnam, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Visakhapatnam 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$2.56 ₹246

77.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,554

$12.87 ₹1,239

258.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿298

$4.33 ₹417

104.16%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$1.53 ₹147

100.00%

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

$0.73 ฿24.42

$0.35 ₹34.05

108.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.40

$0.12 ₹11.69

233.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$2.06 ₹198

17.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$3.39 ₹326

11.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$0.75 ₹72.3

201.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.56 ₹54.2

223.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.79 ₹76.4

184.81%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.6

$0.93 ₹89.2

141.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$5.20 ₹501

275.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$3.58 ₹344

1.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$2.77 ₹267

16.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$0.78 ₹74.7

107.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.2

$1.36 ₹131

75.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.2

$0.55 ₹52.5

269.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$0.51 ₹49.42

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.54 ₹51.9

177.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.93

$0.67 ₹64.6

46.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.40

$0.33 ₹31.46

57.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$4.42 ₹426

0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$8.72 ₹839

110.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.97 ₹190

-5.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.2

$3.69 ₹355

-27.37%

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

$4.91 ₹473

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.30 ₹29.18

370.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿394

$19.24 ₹1,852

-39.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$1.43 ₹138

117.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.08

$0.23 ₹22.23

352.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿475

$2.39 ₹230

490.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.13

$1.20 ₹115

9.17%

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

$27.8K ฿936.0K

$14.9K ₹1.4M

86.48%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$24.0K ₹2.3M

38.22%

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

$122 ฿4,120

$37.34 ₹3,594

227.91%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$3.69 ₹356

268.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$5.75 ₹554

225.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,035

$17.50 ₹1,684

245.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿572

$11.36 ₹1,093

49.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$3.21 ₹309

182.55%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$66.0 ₹6,354

970.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.8K

$1,716 ₹165.2K

820.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,970

$30.40 ₹2,927

92.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,190

$27.83 ₹2,679

27.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,885

$38.30 ₹3,687

201.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,818

$37.41 ₹3,601

123.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.1K

$143 ₹13.8K

336.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$80.0 ₹7,700

456.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.7K

$384 ₹37.0K

431.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$190 ₹18.3K

685.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.2K

$918 ₹88.3K

279.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$460 ₹44.3K

460.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$357 ₹34.4K

40.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

8.3

-35.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Visakhapatnam: July 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $143 in Visakhapatnam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 40% 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 $13.00 in Visakhapatnam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $124 per month, with Visakhapatnam 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 Visakhapatnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Visakhapatnam is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 190% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% 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: $626 in Phuket versus $143 in Visakhapatnam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $66.0 in Visakhapatnam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 133% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $431 in Visakhapatnam versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Visakhapatnam but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Visakhapatnam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Visakhapatnam 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 Visakhapatnam 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 Visakhapatnam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 190% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.