Cost of Living Comparison Between Thailand and India Cost of Living Comparison Between Thailand and India

Name: India
Address: IN

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $920 in Thailand versus $388 in India.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,551 in Thailand versus $617 in India.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,181 in Thailand versus $846 in India.

Living in Thailand is roughly 137% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Thailand 31% lower, India 71% lower.

Internal cost variation is higher in Thailand: monthly costs span $627 to $2,116, compared to $265–$913 in India. City choice carries more weight in Thailand.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.16 ฿106

$2.53 ₹244

24.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.52 ฿924

$13.73 ₹1,322

100.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 ฿235

$4.00 ₹385

75.25%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ฿73.1

$1.91 ₹184

14.14%

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

$0.70 ฿23.56

$0.43 ₹41.85

62.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ฿10.62

$0.17 ₹16.11

88.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ฿72.0

$1.93 ₹186

10.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 ฿126

$3.54 ₹341

6.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ฿62.6

$0.73 ₹69.9

154.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.13

$0.52 ₹50.1

175.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.26

$0.73 ₹69.9

84.93%

Eggs

$2.16 ฿72.4

$0.95 ₹91.4

127.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.49 ฿587

$5.32 ₹512

228.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.89 ฿97.1

$3.10 ₹299

-6.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ฿350

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ฿100

$2.16 ₹208

38.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.10

$0.70 ₹67.7

95.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.5

$1.05 ₹101

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$0.53 ₹50.8

205.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.8

$0.39 ₹37.66

294.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.19

$0.48 ₹46.64

181.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ฿39.85

$0.52 ₹49.78

128.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.36 ₹34.33

36.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$4.02 ₹387

8.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.97 ฿570

$7.28 ₹701

133.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ฿61.5

$1.90 ₹183

-3.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 ฿99.3

$3.03 ₹292

-2.31%

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

$5.84 ₹562

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 ฿27.02

$0.36 ₹34.66

122.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.89 ฿1,138

$9.84 ₹948

244.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 ฿40.40

$0.95 ₹91.8

26.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ฿38.71

$0.30 ₹29.03

283.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 ฿205

$1.79 ₹172

241.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ฿42.09

$1.21 ₹117

3.31%

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

$29.7K ฿998.2K

$13.9K ₹1.3M

114.66%

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

$28.5K ฿957.3K

$22.4K ₹2.2M

27.07%

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

$81.1 ฿2,723

$40.16 ₹3,867

101.99%

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

$13.77 ฿462

$3.76 ₹362

266.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.02 ฿605

$8.04 ₹774

124.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 ฿1,713

$16.25 ₹1,565

213.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.18 ฿342

$7.56 ₹728

34.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 ฿250

$3.43 ₹330

117.20%

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

$413 ฿13.9K

$69.7 ₹6,713

492.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ฿423.7K

$1,852 ₹178.3K

581.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.32 ฿1,656

$25.59 ₹2,463

92.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.24 ฿1,116

$26.30 ₹2,532

26.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,228

$44.89 ₹4,322

114.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.5 ฿2,569

$33.20 ₹3,197

130.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 ฿16.5K

$174 ₹16.8K

181.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 ฿8,881

$112 ₹10.8K

135.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 ฿41.4K

$405 ₹39.0K

205.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 ฿21.6K

$258 ₹24.8K

150.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,413 ฿114.6K

$1,263 ₹121.6K

170.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,968 ฿66.1K

$653 ₹62.8K

201.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$567 ฿19.0K

$424 ₹40.8K

33.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

9.02

-37.03%

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

Last update for Thailand: July 14, 2026

Last update for India: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $454 in Thailand, $127 in India. Capital cities: $684 in Bangkok vs $242 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $622 in Thailand, $398 in India. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 257% higher in Thailand.

Dining out costs 155% more in Thailand.

Salaries are 56% higher in Thailand, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

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

Thailand vs India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $589 per month in India and $1,372 in Thailand, there's a 133% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in India: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Thailand is consistently higher than in India across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Thailand it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: India wins on affordability; Thailand may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.