2026-10-16 · Source: USD→THB ECB via Frankfurter ÷ INR→THB ECB via Frankfurter
UTC+7, no daylight-saving change
Time zone · Source: General knowledge
220 V, 50 Hz; plug types A, B, C and O
Electricity · Source: General knowledge
high November–April, low May–October
Seasons · Source: Phuket Travels methodology
INR against the baht
Month-end reference rates since January 2014: what one INR buys in Thai baht, and what that does to the price of Phuket for you. A rising line means your money buys more baht.
0.3519 THB
1 INR today · 2026-10-16
−3.4%
12 months · October 2025 → October 2026
−19.9%
vs 2019 average
Phuket is 19.9% more expensive for you than in 2019, purely from the exchange rate.2019 average: 1 INR = 0.4392 THB; latest month: 1 INR = 0.3519 THB. 1 THB = 2.84 INR.
Last reference rate of each month, November 2021 to October 2026. Source: ECB via Frankfurter.
Phuket in INR
Index medians (observed in US dollars) converted at the dated reference rates below — arithmetic, not a local price list.
Item
USD
THB
INR
Observed
Hotel 3★, island median, per night
$56
1,871 THB
₹5,318
October 2026 · n = 181
Hotel 4★, island median, per night
$107
3,575 THB
₹10,161
October 2026 · n = 210
Hotel 5★, island median, per night
$213
7,117 THB
₹20,227
October 2026 · n = 95
Villa 3-bed, island median, per month
$5,941
198,519 THB
₹564,165
October 2026 · n = 148
Airport taxi to Patong, one way
$24
802 THB
₹2,279
September 2026 · n = 16
A day, mid budget, per person
$36
1,203 THB
₹3,419
September 2026 · n = 96
Phi Phi day tour, per person
$63
2,105 THB
₹5,983
September 2026 · n = 6
Rates: 1 USD = 33.41 THB (2026-10-16); 1 INR = 0.3519 THB (2026-10-16). 1 THB = 2.84 INR. Reference rates, not cash rates — a Phuket bureau de change is typically 1–3% worse. Source: ECB via Frankfurter (USD); ECB via Frankfurter (INR).
Index medians converted at the rate below. Prices are observed in US dollars; the conversion is arithmetic, not a local price list.
Item
USD
INR
Hotel 4★, one night
$120
₹11,395
Villa 3-bed, one month
$5,692
₹540,520
Airport taxi, one way
$24
₹2,232
A day, mid budget, per person
$36
₹3,419
A week for two: 4★ hotel, mid-budget days, transfers
$1,391
₹132,091
Island figure = median of the area medians with data (15 areas). Week for two = 7 hotel nights + 7 mid-budget days × 2 + airport taxi × 2. 1 USD = 95.0 INR — USD→THB 33.41 (ECB via Frankfurter, 2026-10-16) ÷ INR→THB 0.3519 (ECB via Frankfurter, 2026-10-16)
Guests from India in Phuket
1,029,588
Guest arrivals, 2025
10.2%
Share of foreign arrivals
#3
Rank among markets
+356.5%
Change vs 2019
Guest arrivals at Phuket accommodation (check-ins, not airport arrivals), 2013–2025 · peak month 2025: December (116,972) · Source: Thailand Ministry of Tourism and Sports, provincial statistics, retrieved September 2026
Skilled work permits held by nationals of India, Phuket Provincial Employment Office top-15 list, last verified issue of each year: 2020-12, 2021-12, 2022-12, 2023-12, 2024-12, 2025-10 · Source: Department of Employment (Ministry of Labour), Department of Provincial Administration and National Statistical Office, Thailand, retrieved September 2026
Work permits are the only count by nationality: India nationals on retirement, family, education or DTV visas are not in it. Reference points: the 2010 census counted 94,690 non-Thai residents (18.0%); the civil register held 9,345 non-Thai names at the end of 2025.
India is Phuket's fastest-growing market and, since the visa-free years, one of its largest. The flight is short, the food problem that stopped many Indian families a decade ago has been solved by a hundred Indian and vegetarian kitchens, and the island has learned to host weddings, corporate groups and multi-generation family trips in a way that Goa and Bali have not. Phuket for Indian travellers is usually Patong or Kata, a Phi Phi day trip, a Big Buddha visit and a lot of photographs; increasingly it is also a villa in Bang Tao for a family of ten.
Flights
Facts checked 2026-09-04; entry rules and schedules change — confirm before you fly.
As of September 2026, Phuket has nonstop flights from at least five Indian cities. IndiGo flies from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and has added and dropped other cities season by season; Air India flies from Delhi; Air India Express and Akasa Air fly from Bengaluru and Mumbai respectively; SpiceJet and Thai VietJet have operated Mumbai and Delhi routes. Flight times are around four to five hours from Delhi and Mumbai and under four from Bengaluru, which makes Phuket closer to south India than to Kashmir.
One-stop options through Bangkok on Thai Airways, or through Kuala Lumpur and Singapore on AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, add two to four hours and open up Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune and the smaller cities. Nonstop schedules change frequently on this market; check the airline sites for the month you are travelling, especially for the wet season when frequencies are cut.
Entry and visa
Facts checked 2026-09-04; entry rules and schedules change — confirm before you fly.
Indian passport holders can enter Thailand without a visa for tourism. Checked 4 September 2026: from 15 September 2026 the visa-free stay for Indian citizens is 30 days per entry, replacing the 60 days that applied from mid-2024 until the change. India is on the new list of 60 countries and territories that Thailand published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026. A single extension of up to 30 days can be requested at an immigration office for a fee, at the officer's discretion. Travellers who arrived before 15 September keep the stay they were stamped in with.
Every traveller must also complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online within three days before arrival; it is free, replaces the old paper form, and immigration expects the QR code on your phone. For stays longer than a month, or for work, study or long-stay purposes, apply for the appropriate visa through the Thai e-Visa system before travelling. The planned Electronic Travel Authorisation for visa-exempt visitors had not launched as of the check date. Entry rules change; confirm on the Thai e-Visa site or with the embassy before you fly.
Money
The Thai baht is the only currency you will use. Indian rupees are difficult to exchange in Thailand: a few booths in Patong take them at poor rates, and most do not take them at all. Bring US dollars in large, clean notes for the best rate, or, simpler, rely on cards. Indian Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards work in Thai ATMs and shops; check that international use is enabled in your banking app before you leave, because many Indian banks disable it by default.
Thai ATMs charge a fixed fee of 220 baht per withdrawal on foreign cards, on top of whatever your bank charges, so withdraw larger amounts less often. Decline the ATM's offer to convert to rupees; let your bank do the conversion. UPI does not work in Thailand, and PromptPay QR codes need a Thai bank account, so you will carry cash for markets, taxis, street food and temple donations. Forex cards from Indian banks work but are not better than a good debit card. Tipping is modest: round up taxi fares, leave small change at restaurants, and give a little to the hotel staff who carry bags.
When to go
Indian travel to Phuket peaks in a way that does not perfectly match the island's own seasons. The Diwali week (8 November in 2026) falls at the start of Phuket's dry season, when the sea has just calmed and prices are rising; Christmas and New Year are the island's most expensive fortnight; and the Indian summer holidays in May and June land in Phuket's early wet season, when hotels are cheap and the west-coast beaches are often red-flagged. Many Indian families choose the summer for the prices and accept the rain, which is usually afternoon showers rather than all-day monsoon.
The Phuket high season, November to April, is the best sea and the highest rates. October, around Dussehra, is a good compromise: the rains are easing, the sea is calming and the island is not yet full. Destination weddings are booked for November to February, when outdoor ceremonies are safe from rain. Phi Phi and the Similan Islands are closed or restricted in the wet season; check before you promise the family a boat trip in June.
Practical differences
Thailand runs on 220 volts, the same as India, and its sockets accept two flat pins and two round pins. Indian round three-pin plugs, the large type, will not fit; the small two-pin round plugs on most chargers will. Bring one universal adapter for the laptop. Driving is on the left, as in India, and Thai roads are calmer than Indian ones but faster; a scooter needs an international driving permit, which the rental shop will not ask for but the police and your insurer will.
Buy a Thai SIM at the airport or use an eSIM; Indian roaming packs are expensive by comparison. Tap water is not for drinking; bottled and filtered water are everywhere. Temples require covered shoulders and knees for everyone, and shoes off; the Big Buddha provides sarongs. Indian food is easy to find in Patong, Kata and Karon, including Jain and pure-veg kitchens, and most Thai restaurants will cook without fish sauce if asked. Alcohol is not sold in shops between 2pm and 5pm; bars are unaffected. Public displays of anger get nothing done in Thailand; a smile and patience get everything done.
Where visitors from here stay
By observation rather than statistics, Indian visitors have made Patong and, to a lesser extent, Kata and Karon their home on the island: Patong for the nightlife, the Indian restaurants and the shopping, Kata and Karon for families who want a quieter beach with the same food options nearby. Group tours and honeymooners follow the same pattern. Bangla Road is on most itineraries whether or not anyone will admit it.
The newer pattern is large family groups and wedding parties taking villas in Bang Tao, Layan and Kamala, where a six-bedroom house with a pool and a cook suits three generations better than three hotel rooms. Long-stayers from India are still few compared with Europeans, but remote workers have started to appear in Rawai and Phuket Town. If you are planning a month or longer, the form below goes to a Phuket agency that handles monthly villa and apartment rentals.
Visa and flight facts are referenced on the Sources page.
Direct-flight data for India is not collected yet; it is added with the first country refresh. Phuket's airport is Phuket International Airport (HKT), on the north of the island.
Do India passport holders need a visa for Thailand?
Visa rules for India passport holders are added with the first country refresh. Until then, check the official Thai e-Visa site — this page does not guess entry rules.
What currency does Phuket use, and what is the rate to INR?
Thailand uses the Thai baht (THB). As of 2026-10-16, 1 INR = 0.3519 THB (1 THB = 2.84 INR), the last reference rate of the month from ECB via Frankfurter; that is −19.9% against the 2019 average, so purely from the exchange rate Phuket is 19.9% more expensive for a visitor paying in INR than it was in 2019. Index prices are observed in US dollars and converted at 1 USD = 94.96 INR; the chart on this page shows the monthly series since 2014.
When is the best time to visit Phuket from India?
High season is November to April — the dry months, with the highest prices. Low season, May to October, brings more rain and lower prices. The index tags every price with the season of the travel date, so both can be compared on the same page.
How much does a week in Phuket cost from India?
A weekly budget in INR is shown on this page, built from the index medians (hotel night, daily budget, airport transfer) and the dated exchange rate. It is an estimate from medians; a booking will differ by dates, property and season.
What plug and voltage does Thailand use?
Thailand runs on 220 V, 50 Hz. Sockets take plug types A, B, C and O; most hotel sockets accept flat two-pin (A/B) and round two-pin (C) plugs, so travellers from Europe and North America rarely need more than a simple adapter.
Is Phuket suitable for a long stay?
Yes — Rawai and Chalong host the island's largest long-stay communities, and Bang Tao has the largest villa market. Monthly and seasonal rentals are arranged through VillaCarte, a Phuket agency; the enquiry form is at the end of this page.
Rent for a month or longer
Long-stay villa and apartment enquiries go to VillaCarte, a licensed Phuket agency. One message, a reply the same day.
