Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bursa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bursa: $1,047 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Bursa
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Bursa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Bursa

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,047

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,047 in Bursa versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Bursa $1,047
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,654 in Bursa versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Bursa $1,654
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,260 in Bursa versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Bursa $2,260
Phuket $3,154

Living in Bursa costs roughly 18% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bursa 23% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.79 ₺488

$4.47 ฿151

119.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.03 ₺1,496

$32.41 ฿1,094

-7.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 ₺386

$8.81 ฿297

-12.03%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₺182

$2.83 ฿95.5

28.98%

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

$1.06 ₺52.7

$0.87 ฿29.43

21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₺18.69

$0.49 ฿16.67

-22.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ₺114

$2.56 ฿86.4

-10.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ₺146

$3.68 ฿124

-20.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 ₺47.89

$1.66 ฿56.0

-42.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₺39.96

$1.46 ฿49.35

-45.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 ₺112

$1.50 ฿50.6

50.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ₺114

$2.09 ฿70.5

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 ₺511

$19.07 ฿644

-46.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 ₺244

$3.30 ฿111

48.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.96 ₺945

$10.91 ฿368

73.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ₺82.9

$2.93 ฿99.0

-43.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 ₺97.7

$1.69 ฿57.1

15.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ₺52.0

$2.25 ฿75.8

-53.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₺64.7

$2.08 ฿70.1

-37.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ₺28.79

$1.51 ฿51.0

-61.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₺19.64

$1.38 ฿46.56

-71.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₺36.46

$1.07 ฿35.99

-31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₺35.84

$0.52 ฿17.52

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 ₺103

$4.20 ฿142

-50.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.15 ₺705

$18.79 ฿634

-24.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₺103

$1.82 ฿61.5

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ₺112

$2.84 ฿95.9

-20.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ₺48.92

$1.45 ฿49.03

-32.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.23 ₺1,805

$56.7 ฿1,913

-36.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₺51.2

$3.02 ฿102

-65.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ₺43.11

$1.02 ฿34.36

-14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.89 ₺343

$3.69 ฿125

86.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ₺68.2

$1.47 ฿49.81

-6.80%

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

$44.3K ₺2.2M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

65.41%

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

$38.9K ₺1.9M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

45.87%

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

$75.9 ₺3,784

$96.4 ฿3,254

-21.18%

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

$10.92 ₺544

$11.26 ฿380

-3.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.81 ₺738

$16.85 ฿569

-12.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 ₺3,047

$67.2 ฿2,270

-9.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

$10.73 ฿362

114.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 ₺293

$7.50 ฿253

-21.60%

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

$548 ₺27.3K

$476 ฿16.1K

15.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₺542.7K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-3.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.43 ₺2,213

$62.4 ฿2,106

-28.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.51 ₺1,719

$28.41 ฿959

21.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 ₺3,906

$94.3 ฿3,184

-16.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 ₺4,613

$85.8 ฿2,898

7.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ₺20.0K

$716 ฿24.2K

-43.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ₺15.5K

$491 ฿16.6K

-36.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 ₺36.0K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-62.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₺30.2K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-57.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 ₺59.4K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-71.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,217 ₺60.6K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-60.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$502 ฿17.0K

104.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

42.67

5.57

666.07%

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

Last update for Bursa: 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

Bursa

$310 29.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 58.1% $180

Groceries & Markets

Bursa

$236 22.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 12.8% $30

Eating Out

Bursa

$168 16.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 27.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Bursa

$112 10.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.4% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bursa

$102 9.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 22.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Bursa

$73 7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 12.8% $9.3

Getting Around

Bursa

$46 4.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 55.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $401 in Bursa and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bursa pays about 2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30 in Bursa vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $266 per month, with Bursa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Bursa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

4 h ahead of Bursa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,238,618

79,308

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 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 TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bursa Phuket 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bursa
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

Bursa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bursa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Bursa is about 2 times higher, 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: $401 in Bursa versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bursa – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Bursa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Bursa 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 Bursa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.