Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bielsko-biala and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,480 in Bielsko-biala, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bielsko-biala outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

72

Cost of Living Index in Bielsko-biala
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Bielsko-biala Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bielsko-biala

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,480

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,480 in Bielsko-biala versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Bielsko-biala $1,480
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,131 in Bielsko-biala versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Bielsko-biala $2,131
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,782 in Bielsko-biala versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Bielsko-biala $2,782
Phuket $2,867

Living in Bielsko-biala is roughly 23% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bielsko-biala is 10% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.45 zł 36.70

$4.58 ฿153

106.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.98 zł 179

$32.48 ฿1,086

41.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 zł 34.76

$8.55 ฿286

4.68%

Cappuccino

$3.61 zł 14.03

$2.72 ฿91.0

32.72%

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

$2.21 zł 8.60

$0.94 ฿31.25

135.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 zł 5.27

$0.49 ฿16.39

177.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 zł 14.66

$2.59 ฿86.6

45.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 zł 14.73

$3.83 ฿128

-1.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 zł 4.03

$1.74 ฿58.1

-40.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 zł 4.30

$1.43 ฿47.82

-22.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 zł 5.40

$1.53 ฿51.0

-9.15%

Eggs

$2.87 zł 11.16

$2.17 ฿72.7

32.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 zł 31.95

$19.15 ฿640

-57.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 zł 22.77

$3.30 ฿110

77.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.75 zł 37.88

$11.14 ฿372

-12.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.17 zł 4.56

$2.95 ฿98.5

-60.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 zł 6.25

$1.68 ฿56.1

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 zł 8.19

$2.30 ฿76.8

-8.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 zł 7.53

$2.13 ฿71.3

-8.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 zł 3.10

$1.53 ฿51.1

-47.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 zł 3.07

$1.36 ฿45.55

-41.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 zł 4.03

$1.12 ฿37.44

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 zł 2.41

$0.55 ฿18.24

12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.91 zł 19.09

$4.26 ฿142

15.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 zł 24.61

$18.19 ฿608

-65.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 zł 4.29

$1.74 ฿58.2

-36.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 zł 6.41

$2.79 ฿93.3

-40.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 zł 4.85

$2.22 ฿74.1

-43.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.33 zł 141

$22.06 ฿737

64.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 zł 5.85

$2.91 ฿97.3

-48.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 zł 2.09

$1.01 ฿33.79

-46.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.36 zł 36.38

$3.83 ฿128

144.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 zł 6.46

$1.49 ฿49.85

11.41%

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

$30.8K zł 119.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

15.47%

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

$25.6K zł 99.5K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-4.09%

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

$291 zł 1,132

$99.4 ฿3,321

193.29%

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

$8.48 zł 32.95

$11.28 ฿377

-24.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.92 zł 65.8

$17.36 ฿580

-2.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.85 zł 159

$52.3 ฿1,747

-21.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.81 zł 174

$10.85 ฿362

313.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.08 zł 27.51

$7.57 ฿253

-6.47%

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

$286 zł 1,111

$558 ฿18.7K

-48.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,529 zł 9,825

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-77.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 zł 283

$62.9 ฿2,102

15.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.10 zł 156

$28.58 ฿955

40.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.2 zł 343

$96.1 ฿3,213

-8.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 zł 370

$88.1 ฿2,943

8.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 zł 2,351

$729 ฿24.4K

-17.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 zł 2,139

$460 ฿15.4K

19.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 zł 6,606

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-18.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$864 zł 3,355

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-29.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,428 zł 9,433

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-29.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,942 zł 7,545

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-21.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,435 zł 5,574

$493 ฿16.5K

190.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.87

5.57

23.34%

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

Last update for Bielsko-biala: 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

Bielsko-biala

$551 37.2%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 16.5% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bielsko-biala

$317 21.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 59.6% $189

Groceries & Markets

Bielsko-biala

$192 13%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 39% $75

Eating Out

Bielsko-biala

$186 12.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 34.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Bielsko-biala

$133 9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 7% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Bielsko-biala

$55 3.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 22.6% $12

Getting Around

Bielsko-biala

$46 3.1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 14.5% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $605 in Bielsko-biala and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bielsko-biala pays 191% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Bielsko-biala vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $268, with Bielsko-biala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bielsko-biala

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

03:14 3:14 AM

5 h ahead of Bielsko-biala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

169,756

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 19, 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 19, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Bielsko-biala Phuket 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bielsko-biala
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

Bielsko-biala vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bielsko-biala and Phuket differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,480 vs $1,207 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 191% higher in Bielsko-biala, 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: $605 in Bielsko-biala versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 65% less than in Bielsko-biala. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $286 in Bielsko-biala versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,480 in Bielsko-biala, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bielsko-biala. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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, Bielsko-biala 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Bielsko-biala. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.