Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bishkek: $977 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$977

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $977 in Bishkek versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Bishkek $977
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,505 in Bishkek versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Bishkek $1,505
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,032 in Bishkek versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Bishkek $2,032
Phuket $3,154

Living in Bishkek costs roughly 24% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 28% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.80 KGS 595

$4.47 ฿151

52.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.12 KGS 2,548

$32.41 ฿1,094

-10.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 KGS 499

$8.81 ฿297

-35.30%

Cappuccino

$2.45 KGS 215

$2.83 ฿95.5

-13.43%

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

$0.75 KGS 65.8

$0.87 ฿29.43

-13.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 KGS 35.70

$0.49 ฿16.67

-16.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 KGS 121

$2.56 ฿86.4

-45.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 KGS 168

$3.68 ฿124

-47.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 KGS 90.0

$1.66 ฿56.0

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 KGS 36.15

$1.46 ฿49.35

-71.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 KGS 151

$1.50 ฿50.6

15.33%

Eggs

$1.76 KGS 154

$2.09 ฿70.5

-15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.73 KGS 677

$19.07 ฿644

-59.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 KGS 404

$3.30 ฿111

40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.74 KGS 764

$10.91 ฿368

-19.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 KGS 124

$2.93 ฿99.0

-51.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 KGS 160

$1.69 ฿57.1

8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$2.25 ฿75.8

-10.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 KGS 137

$2.08 ฿70.1

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 KGS 53.4

$1.51 ฿51.0

-59.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 KGS 44.34

$1.38 ฿46.56

-63.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KGS 62.4

$1.07 ฿35.99

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 KGS 49.87

$0.52 ฿17.52

9.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 KGS 181

$4.20 ฿142

-50.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.05 KGS 792

$18.79 ฿634

-51.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 KGS 120

$1.82 ฿61.5

-24.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 KGS 169

$2.84 ฿95.9

-32.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 KGS 21.02

$1.45 ฿49.03

-83.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.55 KGS 1,010

$56.7 ฿1,913

-79.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 KGS 78.2

$3.02 ฿102

-70.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 KGS 38.35

$1.02 ฿34.36

-56.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 KGS 486

$3.69 ฿125

50.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 KGS 85.6

$1.47 ฿49.81

-33.33%

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

$29.8K KGS 2.6M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

11.32%

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

$33.2K KGS 2.9M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

24.30%

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

$49.36 KGS 4,318

$96.4 ฿3,254

-48.77%

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

$5.75 KGS 503

$11.26 ฿380

-48.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.91 KGS 1,042

$16.85 ฿569

-29.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 KGS 4,713

$67.2 ฿2,270

-19.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.66 KGS 1,282

$10.73 ฿362

36.63%

Cinema Ticket

$5.59 KGS 489

$7.50 ฿253

-25.47%

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

$217 KGS 19.0K

$476 ฿16.1K

-54.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,810 KGS 683.3K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-30.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 KGS 4,924

$62.4 ฿2,106

-9.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.87 KGS 3,837

$28.41 ฿959

54.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 KGS 8,028

$94.3 ฿3,184

-2.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 KGS 7,863

$85.8 ฿2,898

4.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 KGS 52.4K

$716 ฿24.2K

-16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 KGS 35.9K

$491 ฿16.6K

-16.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 KGS 90.1K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-46.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 KGS 62.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-49.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,811 KGS 158.4K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-56.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,209 KGS 105.8K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-60.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$498 KGS 43.6K

$502 ฿17.0K

-0.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

5.57

260.86%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$410 42%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 19.7% $81

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$176 18%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 51.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$127 13%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 3.9% $4.9

Eating Out

Bishkek

$116 11.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.6% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$67 6.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 85.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$65 6.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 26.4% $17

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 353% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $599 in Bishkek and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $29 in Bishkek vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $266 per month, with Bishkek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

1 h ahead of Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.03 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 87.48 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 97.36 KGS (100 KGS = 1.03 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KGS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Phuket 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
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

Bishkek vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bishkek is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 31% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,466 in Bishkek and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $599 in Bishkek versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $217 in Bishkek versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

For families, Bishkek is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bishkek 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 Bishkek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.