Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burgas and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgas: $1,232 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Burgas
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Burgas Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Burgas

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,232

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,232 per month in Burgas vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Burgas $1,232
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,825 per month in Burgas vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Burgas $1,825
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,419 per month in Burgas vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Burgas $2,419
Phuket $3,154

Burgas is about 4% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Burgas and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Burgas 10% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.35 BGN 23.37

$4.47 ฿151

198.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.72 BGN 76.5

$32.41 ฿1,093

34.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 BGN 20.21

$8.81 ฿297

31.10%

Cappuccino

$3.37 BGN 5.90

$2.83 ฿95.4

19.08%

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

$1.06 BGN 1.86

$0.87 ฿29.41

21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 BGN 1.38

$0.49 ฿16.65

61.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$2.56 ฿86.3

-20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 BGN 4.87

$3.68 ฿124

-24.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.66 ฿55.9

1.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 BGN 1.74

$1.46 ฿49.31

-32.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.51

$1.50 ฿50.5

34.00%

Eggs

$3.23 BGN 5.66

$2.09 ฿70.5

54.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 BGN 17.26

$19.07 ฿643

-48.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.81 BGN 15.42

$3.30 ฿111

166.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.58 BGN 20.26

$10.91 ฿368

6.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 BGN 4.09

$2.93 ฿98.9

-20.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.58

$1.69 ฿57.0

21.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.58

$2.25 ฿75.8

-8.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 BGN 4.47

$2.08 ฿70.0

22.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 BGN 2.92

$1.51 ฿51.0

10.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 BGN 2.48

$1.38 ฿46.52

2.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 BGN 1.64

$1.07 ฿35.96

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.52 ฿17.51

69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 BGN 6.23

$4.20 ฿142

-15.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 BGN 11.92

$18.79 ฿634

-63.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 BGN 1.81

$1.82 ฿61.5

-43.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 BGN 3.34

$2.84 ฿95.8

-32.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.45 ฿48.98

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.96 BGN 59.4

$56.7 ฿1,912

-40.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 BGN 3.07

$3.02 ฿102

-42.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 BGN 1.33

$1.02 ฿34.33

-25.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.09 BGN 21.16

$3.69 ฿125

227.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 BGN 2.92

$1.47 ฿49.76

13.61%

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

$30.3K BGN 53.0K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

13.21%

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

$23.5K BGN 41.2K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-11.84%

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

$103 BGN 180

$96.4 ฿3,251

7.03%

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

$14.39 BGN 25.18

$11.26 ฿380

27.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$16.85 ฿568

-30.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.79 BGN 66.1

$67.2 ฿2,268

-43.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.31 BGN 25.04

$10.73 ฿362

33.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 BGN 15.29

$7.50 ฿253

16.53%

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

$230 BGN 402

$476 ฿16.1K

-51.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K BGN 25.7K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

30.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 BGN 102

$62.4 ฿2,104

-6.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.82 BGN 52.2

$28.41 ฿958

4.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 BGN 124

$94.3 ฿3,181

-24.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.7 BGN 131

$85.8 ฿2,895

-12.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 995

$716 ฿24.2K

-20.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 BGN 784

$491 ฿16.6K

-8.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 BGN 1,404

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-58.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 BGN 1,072

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-57.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,581 BGN 4,516

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-38.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,888 BGN 3,304

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-37.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,002 BGN 1,754

$502 ฿16.9K

99.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

5.57

-41.65%

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

Last update for Burgas: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burgas

$448 36.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 9.5% $43

Groceries & Markets

Burgas

$246 20%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 8.3% $20

Eating Out

Burgas

$205 16.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 40.7% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burgas

$129 10.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 3.7% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Burgas

$105 8.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Burgas

$55 4.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 48.8% $27

Getting Around

Burgas

$43 3.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 64.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $569 in Burgas versus $716 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 100% higher in Burgas, 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 $44 in Burgas versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $246 in Burgas vs $266 in Phuket – so Burgas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Burgas

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

5 h ahead of Burgas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

189,741

79,308

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burgas Phuket 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Burgas
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

Burgas vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,232 in Burgas, $1,278 in Phuket – Burgas comes out roughly 4% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,847 per month in Burgas and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Burgas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $569 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Burgas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Burgas and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,232 in Burgas and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Burgas costs $1,232 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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