Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikesir and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikesir: $942 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Balikesir
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Balikesir Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Balikesir

🇹🇷 Turkey

$942

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $942 per month in Balikesir vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Balikesir $942
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Balikesir vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Balikesir $1,467
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,991 per month in Balikesir vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Balikesir $1,991
Phuket $3,115

Balikesir is about 27% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Balikesir and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Balikesir 30% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.88 ₺345

$4.39 ฿147

56.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.55 ₺1,379

$32.31 ฿1,078

-14.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 ₺397

$8.70 ฿290

-8.85%

Cappuccino

$3.50 ₺175

$2.72 ฿90.9

28.68%

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

$1.32 ₺66.3

$0.93 ฿31.06

41.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₺17.07

$0.50 ฿16.67

-32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 ₺147

$2.53 ฿84.5

16.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 ₺200

$3.63 ฿121

9.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 ₺46.46

$1.74 ฿58.1

-46.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.48

$1.45 ฿48.42

-34.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ₺107

$1.50 ฿50.1

42.00%

Eggs

$1.88 ₺93.9

$2.17 ฿72.5

-13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.80 ₺390

$19.09 ฿637

-59.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ₺173

$3.40 ฿113

1.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.60 ₺931

$10.90 ฿364

70.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ₺92.7

$2.94 ฿98.2

-37.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₺82.3

$1.69 ฿56.5

-2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 ₺49.35

$2.19 ฿73.2

-54.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 ₺49.11

$2.12 ฿70.9

-53.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.45 ₺22.48

$1.46 ฿48.68

-69.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 ₺15.22

$1.37 ฿45.66

-78.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₺36.27

$1.08 ฿35.91

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₺37.37

$0.55 ฿18.21

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.23 ₺112

$4.43 ฿148

-49.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 ₺567

$18.25 ฿609

-37.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₺100

$1.77 ฿59.2

13.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 ₺152

$2.88 ฿96.2

5.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 ₺35.54

$1.45 ฿48.32

-51.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.40 ₺1,971

$54.9 ฿1,832

-28.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 ₺56.1

$1.51 ฿50.5

-25.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ₺56.5

$0.78 ฿25.90

44.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 ₺200

$3.84 ฿128

4.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₺65.6

$1.49 ฿49.65

-12.08%

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

$39.8K ₺2.0M

$26.9K ฿897.3K

47.93%

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

$40.4K ₺2.0M

$26.3K ฿879.4K

53.21%

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

$44.52 ₺2,228

$97.8 ฿3,265

-54.48%

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

$12.10 ₺605

$11.29 ฿377

7.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.95 ₺748

$17.19 ฿574

-13.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.2 ₺2,961

$68.3 ฿2,281

-13.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.92 ₺1,497

$10.92 ฿365

173.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.04 ₺202

$7.43 ฿248

-45.63%

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

$589 ₺29.5K

$530 ฿17.7K

11.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ₺599.3K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-36.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.59 ₺1,180

$61.7 ฿2,059

-61.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.28 ₺815

$28.25 ฿943

-42.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ₺3,544

$96.0 ฿3,204

-26.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.30 ₺2,017

$86.8 ฿2,898

-53.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ₺20.1K

$721 ฿24.1K

-44.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ₺16.2K

$509 ฿17.0K

-36.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 ₺41.4K

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-57.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 ₺28.7K

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-58.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,006 ₺50.4K

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-75.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$806 ₺40.3K

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-75.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,297 ₺64.9K

$492 ฿16.4K

163.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

39.8

5.57

614.54%

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

Last update for Balikesir: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balikesir

$325 34.4%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 56.8% $184

Groceries & Markets

Balikesir

$212 22.5%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 26% $55

Eating Out

Balikesir

$150 15.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 20.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikesir

$72 7.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 76.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Balikesir

$68 7.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 80.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Balikesir

$67 7.1%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 23.7% $16

Getting Around

Balikesir

$49 5.2%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 34.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $401 in Balikesir versus $721 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 Balikesir are about 2.6 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Balikesir versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $267 – making Balikesir the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Balikesir

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

4 h ahead of Balikesir

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,196,170

79,308

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balikesir Phuket 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Balikesir
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

Balikesir vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 37% more than Balikesir, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,413 per month in Balikesir and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Balikesir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $401 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $942 in Balikesir and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Balikesir about 27% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Balikesir. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $942 in Balikesir and $1,294 in Phuket. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $942 in Balikesir to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Balikesir is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 27% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.