Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baku and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Baku: $1,014 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Baku
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Baku Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Baku

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$1,014

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,014 in Baku versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Baku $1,014
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,578 in Baku versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Baku $1,578
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,142 in Baku versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Baku $2,142
Phuket $2,867

Living in Baku costs roughly 16% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baku 25% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 ₼14.62

$4.58 ฿153

87.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.05 ₼68.1

$32.48 ฿1,086

23.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.15 ₼13.85

$8.55 ฿286

-4.68%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₼6.04

$2.72 ฿91.0

30.88%

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

$1.10 ₼1.87

$0.94 ฿31.25

17.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₼1.05

$0.49 ฿16.39

26.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 ₼3.06

$2.59 ฿86.6

-30.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ₼5.13

$3.83 ฿128

-21.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ₼2.49

$1.74 ฿58.1

-16.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₼0.90

$1.43 ฿47.82

-62.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₼4.23

$1.53 ฿51.0

62.75%

Eggs

$1.98 ₼3.36

$2.17 ฿72.7

-8.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.19 ₼8.83

$19.15 ฿640

-72.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 ₼8.92

$3.30 ฿110

59.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.84 ₼20.11

$11.14 ฿372

6.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 ₼2.19

$2.95 ฿98.5

-56.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 ₼3.23

$1.68 ฿56.1

13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₼2.65

$2.30 ฿76.8

-32.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ₼2.99

$2.13 ฿71.3

-17.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ₼1.23

$1.53 ฿51.1

-52.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₼0.94

$1.36 ฿45.55

-59.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ₼1.27

$1.12 ฿37.44

-33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₼1.34

$0.55 ฿18.24

43.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₼4.91

$4.26 ฿142

-32.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.77 ₼14.90

$18.19 ฿608

-51.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₼2.64

$1.74 ฿58.2

-10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₼4.94

$2.79 ฿93.3

3.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₼0.62

$2.22 ฿74.1

-83.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 ₼35.64

$22.06 ฿737

-4.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 ₼3.41

$2.91 ฿97.3

-31.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₼1.04

$1.01 ฿33.79

-39.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ₼5.92

$3.83 ฿128

-8.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.69 ₼1.17

$1.49 ฿49.85

-53.69%

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

$23.3K ₼39.6K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-12.63%

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

$21.0K ₼35.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-21.49%

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

$65.5 ₼111

$99.4 ฿3,321

-34.12%

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

$11.23 ₼19.08

$11.28 ฿377

-0.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.17 ₼25.78

$17.36 ฿580

-12.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 ₼82.4

$52.3 ฿1,747

-7.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 ₼27.65

$10.85 ฿362

49.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.80 ₼9.86

$7.57 ฿253

-23.38%

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

$327 ₼556

$558 ฿18.7K

-41.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,818 ₼11.6K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-40.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.8 ₼114

$62.9 ฿2,102

6.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 ₼93.7

$28.58 ฿955

92.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ₼212

$96.1 ฿3,213

29.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₼196

$88.1 ฿2,943

31.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 ₼928

$729 ฿24.4K

-25.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 ₼542

$460 ฿15.4K

-30.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,045 ₼1,775

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-50.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$521 ₼885

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-57.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,175 ₼3,697

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-37.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,285 ₼2,184

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-48.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$557 ₼947

$493 ฿16.5K

13.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

5.57

69.84%

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

Last update for Baku: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baku

$319 31.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 44.2% $141

Groceries & Markets

Baku

$195 19.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 37.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Baku

$163 16.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 23.9% $39

Eating Out

Baku

$158 15.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 23.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baku

$92 9.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 39.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Baku

$60 5.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 12.2% $7.4

Getting Around

Baku

$28 2.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 41.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $546 in Baku and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baku pays 13% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Baku vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $195 vs $268, with Baku cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇿 Baku

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

16:27 4:27 PM

3 h ahead of Baku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,300,500 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.523 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AZN – Azerbaijani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇿 Azerbaijani Manat (₼)

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.523 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AZN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Baku Phuket 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Baku
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

Baku vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baku and Phuket differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($1,014 vs $1,207 including rent). Baku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 13% higher in Baku, 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: $546 in Baku versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $327 in Baku versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,014 in Baku versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baku but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Baku 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, Baku and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.