Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkala and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $383 in Varkala versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Varkala $383
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $611 in Varkala versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Varkala $611
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $839 in Varkala versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Varkala $839
Phuket $3,154

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Varkala 72% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.30 ₹218

$4.47 ฿151

-48.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.55 ₹1,001

$32.41 ฿1,092

-67.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.55 ₹337

$8.81 ฿297

-59.70%

Cappuccino

$1.51 ₹143

$2.83 ฿95.3

-46.64%

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

$0.40 ₹38.39

$0.87 ฿29.37

-54.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ₹15.93

$0.49 ฿16.64

-65.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 ₹169

$2.56 ฿86.2

-30.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹291

$3.68 ฿124

-16.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 ₹67.6

$1.66 ฿55.9

-57.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₹42.39

$1.46 ฿49.25

-69.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 ₹63.8

$1.50 ฿50.4

-55.33%

Eggs

$0.94 ₹89.4

$2.09 ฿70.4

-55.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.02 ₹476

$19.07 ฿642

-73.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ₹288

$3.30 ฿111

-7.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ₹193

$2.93 ฿98.7

-30.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 ₹70.8

$1.69 ฿56.9

-55.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 ₹89.5

$2.25 ฿75.7

-58.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 ₹51.6

$2.08 ฿70.0

-74.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 ₹33.79

$1.51 ฿50.9

-76.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.23

$1.38 ฿46.47

-66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹42.95

$1.07 ฿35.91

-57.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.87

$0.52 ฿17.49

-40.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 ₹378

$4.20 ฿142

-5.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.30 ₹692

$18.79 ฿633

-61.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₹162

$1.82 ฿61.4

-6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₹272

$2.84 ฿95.7

0.70%

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

$5.52 ₹524

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₹26.38

$1.45 ฿48.93

-80.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.50 ₹806

$56.7 ฿1,909

-85.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 ₹79.7

$3.02 ฿102

-72.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.71

$1.02 ฿34.29

-75.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ₹141

$3.69 ฿124

-59.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ₹111

$1.47 ฿49.70

-20.41%

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

$13.8K ₹1.3M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-48.39%

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

$21.9K ₹2.1M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-18.03%

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

$38.84 ₹3,685

$96.4 ฿3,247

-59.69%

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

$3.53 ₹335

$11.26 ฿380

-68.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.21 ₹684

$16.85 ฿568

-57.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.07 ₹1,525

$67.2 ฿2,266

-76.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.04 ₹668

$10.73 ฿361

-34.39%

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 ₹271

$7.50 ฿253

-61.87%

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

$50.6 ₹4,799

$476 ฿16.0K

-89.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,531 ₹145.3K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-86.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.03 ₹2,280

$62.4 ฿2,102

-61.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.85 ₹2,358

$28.41 ฿957

-12.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.77 ₹4,058

$94.3 ฿3,178

-54.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.58 ₹2,902

$85.8 ฿2,892

-64.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ₹11.6K

$716 ฿24.1K

-82.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.1 ₹7,122

$491 ฿16.5K

-84.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 ₹26.1K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-85.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ₹17.2K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-87.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,076 ₹102.1K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-74.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$611 ₹58.0K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-79.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.67

5.57

55.66%

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

Last update for Varkala: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varkala

$106 27.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 152% $160

Accommodation & Living

Varkala

$75 19.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 554% $416

Eating Out

Varkala

$64 16.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 88.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Varkala

$55 14.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 122% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkala

$50 12.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 151% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Varkala

$22 5.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 278% $60

Getting Around

Varkala

$12 3.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 503% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $122 in Varkala and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11 in Varkala vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $106 vs $266 per month, with Varkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varkala

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

12:59 12:59 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Varkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.54 USD

1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 94.89 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varkala Phuket 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Varkala
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

Varkala vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varkala is about 70% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $575 in Varkala and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $122 in Varkala versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $51 in Varkala 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 152% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $383 in Varkala versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Varkala but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Varkala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Varkala 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, Varkala and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Varkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.