Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Blair and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Blair: $361 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Port Blair
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Port Blair Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Port Blair

🇮🇳 India

$361

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Blair and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Port Blair and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $361 in Port Blair versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Port Blair $361
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $575 in Port Blair versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Port Blair $575
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $790 in Port Blair versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Port Blair $790
Phuket $2,845

Living in Port Blair costs roughly 70% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Port Blair 73% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₹194

$4.40 ฿147

-53.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.50 ₹998

$32.26 ฿1,078

-67.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.62 ₹343

$8.76 ฿293

-58.68%

Cappuccino

$1.59 ₹151

$2.83 ฿94.5

-43.82%

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

$0.39 ₹37.45

$0.90 ฿30.14

-56.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹11.93

$0.47 ฿15.56

-72.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₹169

$2.55 ฿85.2

-30.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ₹282

$3.83 ฿128

-22.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 ₹63.5

$1.73 ฿57.7

-61.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₹41.58

$1.47 ฿49.11

-70.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₹62.3

$1.51 ฿50.6

-56.29%

Eggs

$0.89 ₹84.9

$2.17 ฿72.7

-58.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.40 ₹418

$19.70 ฿658

-77.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.80 ₹266

$3.34 ฿112

-16.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 ₹175

$2.85 ฿95.1

-35.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.0

$1.70 ฿56.9

-62.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 ₹83.1

$2.19 ฿73.3

-59.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.44 ₹42.01

$2.05 ฿68.4

-78.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.63

$1.45 ฿48.57

-76.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹34.71

$1.38 ฿46.16

-73.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹40.72

$1.07 ฿35.69

-59.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₹27.50

$0.51 ฿16.91

-43.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.88 ₹463

$4.26 ฿142

14.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 ₹699

$18.58 ฿621

-60.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₹152

$1.78 ฿59.7

-10.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₹253

$2.85 ฿95.2

-6.67%

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

$4.95 ₹470

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₹23.51

$2.26 ฿75.6

-88.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.59 ₹721

$22.10 ฿738

-65.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 ₹81.4

$3.01 ฿101

-71.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.85

$1.06 ฿35.34

-74.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ₹153

$3.86 ฿129

-58.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.45 ฿48.45

-26.21%

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

$12.4K ₹1.2M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-52.96%

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

$19.5K ₹1.9M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-27.57%

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

$34.47 ₹3,274

$96.4 ฿3,221

-64.24%

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

$3.35 ₹318

$11.04 ฿369

-69.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.62 ₹628

$17.14 ฿573

-61.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.02 ₹1,332

$52.2 ฿1,744

-73.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.34 ₹602

$11.16 ฿373

-43.19%

Cinema Ticket

$3.88 ₹368

$7.81 ฿261

-50.32%

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

$47.72 ₹4,532

$556 ฿18.6K

-91.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,410 ₹133.9K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-87.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.61 ₹2,052

$64.2 ฿2,146

-66.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.66 ₹2,246

$28.69 ฿959

-17.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.80 ₹3,684

$95.4 ฿3,187

-59.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.72 ₹2,633

$88.0 ฿2,940

-68.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$87.9 ₹8,350

$737 ฿24.6K

-88.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$72.2 ₹6,854

$462 ฿15.5K

-84.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 ₹24.8K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-87.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₹16.4K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-85.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$970 ₹92.1K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-72.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$520 ₹49.4K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-79.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$637 ₹60.4K

$501 ฿16.7K

27.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.86

5.57

59.07%

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

Last update for Port Blair: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Port Blair

$98 27.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 174% $170

Accommodation & Living

Port Blair

$72 20%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 541% $390

Eating Out

Port Blair

$63 17.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 91.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Port Blair

$50 13.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 147% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Blair

$44 12.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 180% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Port Blair

$22 6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 211% $46

Getting Around

Port Blair

$11 3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 265% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $87.9 in Port Blair and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Blair pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11.00 in Port Blair vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $98.0 vs $269 per month, with Port Blair cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Port Blair

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Port Blair

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,500

79,308

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

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).

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).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Blair Phuket 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Port Blair
Phuket

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

Port Blair vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Blair is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 235% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Port Blair, 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: $87.9 in Port Blair versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $47.72 in Port Blair versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 174% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $361 in Port Blair versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Port Blair but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Port Blair the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Port Blair 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, Port Blair and Phuket 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 Port Blair gentler on the wallet – expenses run 235% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.