Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bialystok and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,461 in Bialystok, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Bialystok
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Bialystok Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bialystok

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,461

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,461 per month in Bialystok vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Bialystok $1,461
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,069 per month in Bialystok vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Bialystok $2,069
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,676 per month in Bialystok vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Bialystok $2,676
Phuket $2,845

Bialystok costs about 21% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bialystok sits 8% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 zł 38.49

$4.40 ฿147

125.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.57 zł 177

$32.26 ฿1,078

41.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 zł 34.37

$8.76 ฿293

1.03%

Cappuccino

$3.55 zł 13.78

$2.83 ฿94.5

25.44%

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

$1.90 zł 7.40

$0.90 ฿30.14

111.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 zł 5.87

$0.47 ฿15.56

221.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 zł 13.88

$2.55 ฿85.2

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 zł 11.75

$3.83 ฿128

-20.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 zł 4.14

$1.73 ฿57.7

-38.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 zł 3.88

$1.47 ฿49.11

-31.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 zł 8.65

$1.51 ฿50.6

47.68%

Eggs

$3.76 zł 14.59

$2.17 ฿72.7

73.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 zł 36.49

$19.70 ฿658

-52.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.62 zł 21.84

$3.34 ฿112

68.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 zł 43.61

$11.16 ฿373

0.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 zł 4.83

$2.85 ฿95.1

-56.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.84

$1.70 ฿56.9

3.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 zł 6.19

$2.19 ฿73.3

-27.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 zł 7.90

$2.05 ฿68.4

-0.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 zł 4.10

$1.45 ฿48.57

-26.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 zł 4.61

$1.38 ฿46.16

-13.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 zł 4.55

$1.07 ฿35.69

9.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 zł 2.35

$0.51 ฿16.91

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 zł 19.75

$4.26 ฿142

19.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.12 zł 23.78

$18.58 ฿621

-67.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 zł 4.73

$1.78 ฿59.7

-31.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 zł 5.97

$2.85 ฿95.2

-45.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 zł 4.16

$2.26 ฿75.6

-52.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.47 zł 130

$22.10 ฿738

51.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 zł 8.19

$3.01 ฿101

-29.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 zł 2.55

$1.06 ฿35.34

-37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.02 zł 50.6

$3.86 ฿129

237.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 zł 6.29

$1.45 ฿48.45

11.72%

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

$30.8K zł 119.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

17.08%

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

$28.8K zł 112.0K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

7.01%

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

$299 zł 1,164

$96.4 ฿3,221

210.72%

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

$8.25 zł 32.05

$11.04 ฿369

-25.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.22 zł 70.8

$17.14 ฿573

6.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.41 zł 161

$52.2 ฿1,744

-20.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.67 zł 108

$11.16 ฿373

147.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.25 zł 32.07

$7.81 ฿261

5.63%

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

$351 zł 1,363

$556 ฿18.6K

-36.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,337 zł 16.9K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-62.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.1 zł 381

$64.2 ฿2,146

52.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 zł 142

$28.69 ฿959

27.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 zł 338

$95.4 ฿3,187

-8.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 zł 343

$88.0 ฿2,940

0.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 zł 2,113

$737 ฿24.6K

-26.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$502 zł 1,951

$462 ฿15.5K

8.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 zł 3,194

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-60.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 zł 2,786

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-40.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,669 zł 10.4K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-23.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,324 zł 9,030

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-7.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,447 zł 5,622

$501 ฿16.7K

188.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.57

26.93%

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

Last update for Bialystok: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bialystok

$502 34.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 7.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bialystok

$326 22.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 61.8% $201

Groceries & Markets

Bialystok

$207 14.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 30% $62

Eating Out

Bialystok

$186 12.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 34.8% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Bialystok

$140 9.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 10.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bialystok

$58 4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 17% $9.9

Getting Around

Bialystok

$43 3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 8.6% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $544 in Bialystok versus $737 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 run about 189% higher in Bialystok, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Bialystok versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $207 in Bialystok vs $269 in Phuket – so Bialystok wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bialystok

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

18:00 6:00 PM

5 h ahead of Bialystok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,554

79,308

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 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 PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bialystok Phuket 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bialystok
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

Bialystok vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bialystok costs about 21% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,192 per month in Bialystok and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $351 per month in Bialystok and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 30% cheaper in Bialystok – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Bialystok at $1,461. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bialystok it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $1,461 in Bialystok. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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