Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Babol and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Babol: $471 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Babol
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Babol Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Babol

🇮🇷 Iran

$471

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $471 per month in Babol vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Babol $471
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $733 per month in Babol vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Babol $733
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $994 per month in Babol vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Babol $994
Phuket $3,154

Babol is about 63% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Babol and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Babol 65% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 $2.94

$4.47 ฿151

-34.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.80 $10.80

$32.41 ฿1,094

-66.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.02 $4.02

$8.81 ฿297

-54.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.49 $0.49

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 $0.66

Cappuccino

$1.05 $1.05

$2.83 ฿95.5

-62.90%

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

$0.29 $0.29

$0.87 ฿29.43

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.49 ฿16.67

251.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.66 ฿56.0

-57.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.22 $0.22

$1.46 ฿49.35

-84.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.50 ฿50.6

64.67%

Eggs

$1.22 $1.22

$2.09 ฿70.5

-41.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$19.07 ฿644

-89.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$3.30 ฿111

-0.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 $9.23

$10.91 ฿368

-15.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.93 ฿99.0

-58.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.69 ฿57.1

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.25 ฿75.8

-78.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.08 ฿70.1

-76.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.51 ฿51.0

-80.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.38 ฿46.56

-78.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.07 ฿35.99

-72.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.14 $0.14

$0.52 ฿17.52

-73.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.78 $0.78

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 $0.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.24 $2.24

$4.20 ฿142

-46.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 $0.16

$1.45 ฿49.03

-88.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.65 $9.65

$56.7 ฿1,913

-82.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 $0.51

$3.02 ฿102

-83.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.02 ฿34.36

-71.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$3.69 ฿125

-20.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.08 $0.08

$1.47 ฿49.81

-94.56%

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

$49.2K $49.2K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

83.89%

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

$30.1K $30.1K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

12.60%

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

$12.91 $12.91

$96.4 ฿3,254

-86.60%

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

$1.52 $1.52

$11.26 ฿380

-86.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.84 $3.84

$16.85 ฿569

-77.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.51 $18.51

$67.2 ฿2,270

-72.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.57 $13.57

$10.73 ฿362

26.47%

Cinema Ticket

$1.94 $1.94

$7.50 ฿253

-74.13%

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

$48.02 $48.02

$476 ฿16.1K

-89.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,397 $2,397

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-78.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.85 $19.85

$62.4 ฿2,106

-68.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.97 $14.97

$28.41 ฿959

-47.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.6 $53.6

$94.3 ฿3,184

-43.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.31 $39.31

$85.8 ฿2,898

-54.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 $289

$716 ฿24.2K

-59.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 $207

$491 ฿16.6K

-57.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 $779

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-59.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 $359

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-74.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$911 $911

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-78.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$596 $596

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-80.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$130 $130

$502 ฿17.0K

-74.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.75

5.57

326.39%

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

Last update for Babol: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Babol

$207 44%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 137% $283

Groceries & Markets

Babol

$97 20.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 174% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Babol

$57 12.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 112% $64

Eating Out

Babol

$56 11.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 117% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Babol

$22 4.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 267% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Babol

$18 3.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 581% $106

Getting Around

Babol

$12 2.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 476% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $289 in Babol versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Babol versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $97 vs $266 – making Babol the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Babol

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

3 h 30 min ahead of Babol

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

220,000

79,308

💱 Currency

USD USD

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Babol Phuket 5,600 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Babol
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Babol vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $471 in Babol, $1,278 in Phuket – Babol comes out roughly 63% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $707 per month in Babol and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Babol, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $289 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Babol. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $48 per month in Babol and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Babol, where all-in costs run around $471, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Babol it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Babol – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Babol. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.