Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shimla and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $310 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$310

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shimla 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 Shimla and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $310 in Shimla versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Shimla $310
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $504 in Shimla versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Shimla $504
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $698 in Shimla versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Shimla $698
Phuket $3,154

Living in Shimla costs roughly 76% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shimla 77% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.56 ₹148

$4.47 ฿151

-65.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.47 ₹994

$32.41 ฿1,093

-67.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.09 ₹294

$8.81 ฿297

-64.93%

Cappuccino

$0.92 ₹87.1

$2.83 ฿95.4

-67.49%

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

$0.34 ₹32.11

$0.87 ฿29.41

-60.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.39

$0.49 ฿16.65

-77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 ₹156

$2.56 ฿86.3

-35.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ₹196

$3.68 ฿124

-43.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 ₹64.0

$1.66 ฿55.9

-59.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 ₹40.25

$1.46 ฿49.31

-71.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.2

$1.50 ฿50.5

-58.00%

Eggs

$0.89 ₹84.9

$2.09 ฿70.5

-57.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 ₹411

$19.07 ฿643

-77.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.18 ₹302

$3.30 ฿111

-3.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ₹178

$2.93 ฿98.9

-36.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 ₹71.9

$1.69 ฿57.0

-55.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.0

$2.25 ฿75.8

-72.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ₹45.38

$2.08 ฿70.0

-76.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 ₹28.64

$1.51 ฿51.0

-80.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.25

$1.38 ฿46.52

-73.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.93

$1.07 ฿35.96

-79.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.55

$0.52 ฿17.51

-48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₹321

$4.20 ฿142

-19.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.57 ₹814

$18.79 ฿634

-54.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₹147

$1.82 ฿61.5

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ₹194

$2.84 ฿95.8

-28.17%

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

$3.80 ₹361

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹20.92

$1.45 ฿48.98

-84.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.84 ₹745

$56.7 ฿1,912

-86.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 ₹102

$3.02 ฿102

-64.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₹31.84

$1.02 ฿34.33

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹97.2

$3.69 ฿125

-72.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ₹104

$1.47 ฿49.76

-25.85%

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

$8,462 ₹803.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-68.40%

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

$18.1K ₹1.7M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-32.32%

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

$18.17 ₹1,725

$96.4 ฿3,251

-81.14%

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

$3.13 ₹297

$11.26 ฿380

-72.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.02 ₹667

$16.85 ฿568

-58.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.85 ₹1,315

$67.2 ฿2,268

-79.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.63 ₹1,009

$10.73 ฿362

-0.93%

Cinema Ticket

$3.07 ₹291

$7.50 ฿253

-59.07%

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

$42.11 ₹3,998

$476 ฿16.1K

-91.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,173 ₹206.3K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-80.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.76 ₹2,351

$62.4 ฿2,104

-60.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.97 ₹2,086

$28.41 ฿958

-22.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.31 ₹3,733

$94.3 ฿3,181

-58.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.41 ₹2,508

$85.8 ฿2,895

-69.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$86.4 ₹8,199

$716 ฿24.2K

-87.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$53.3 ₹5,060

$491 ฿16.6K

-89.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₹18.9K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-89.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 ₹11.9K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-91.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$563 ₹53.4K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-86.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 ₹53.4K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-81.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$612 ₹58.1K

$502 ฿16.9K

21.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.25

5.57

48.11%

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

Last update for Shimla: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shimla

$99 32.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 168% $167

Accommodation & Living

Shimla

$53 17.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 821% $438

Clothing & Footwear

Shimla

$51 16.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 141% $71

Eating Out

Shimla

$47 15.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 159% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shimla

$28 9.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 340% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Shimla

$20 6.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 311% $62

Getting Around

Shimla

$11 3.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 515% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $86 in Shimla and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shimla pays 22% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $10 in Shimla vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $99 vs $266 per month, with Shimla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Shimla

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Shimla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shimla Phuket 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shimla
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

Shimla vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shimla is about 76% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 22% higher in Shimla, 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: $86 in Shimla versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $42 in Shimla versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 168% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $310 in Shimla versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shimla but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shimla 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.

Safety-wise, Shimla and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Shimla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.