Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erdenet and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Erdenet: $376 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Erdenet
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Erdenet Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Erdenet

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$376

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $376 in Erdenet versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Erdenet $376
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $622 in Erdenet versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Erdenet $622
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $868 in Erdenet versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Erdenet $868
Phuket $2,845

Living in Erdenet costs roughly 69% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Erdenet 72% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.25 MNT 15.3K

$4.40 ฿147

-3.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.10 MNT 101.1K

$32.26 ฿1,078

-12.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.12 MNT 14.8K

$8.76 ฿293

-52.97%

Cappuccino

$2.27 MNT 8,151

$2.83 ฿94.5

-19.79%

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

$0.61 MNT 2,200

$0.90 ฿30.14

-32.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 MNT 1,584

$0.47 ฿15.56

-6.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 MNT 5,912

$2.55 ฿85.2

-35.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 MNT 5,958

$3.83 ฿128

-56.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 MNT 3,657

$1.73 ฿57.7

-41.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 MNT 3,167

$1.47 ฿49.11

-40.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 MNT 9,728

$1.51 ฿50.6

79.47%

Eggs

$2.04 MNT 7,340

$2.17 ฿72.7

-5.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.01 MNT 25.2K

$19.70 ฿658

-64.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.13 MNT 25.6K

$3.34 ฿112

113.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.42 MNT 15.9K

$11.16 ฿373

-60.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 MNT 7,839

$2.85 ฿95.1

-23.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 MNT 6,086

$1.70 ฿56.9

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 MNT 6,084

$2.19 ฿73.3

-22.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 MNT 5,074

$2.05 ฿68.4

-31.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 MNT 5,036

$1.45 ฿48.57

-3.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 MNT 2,942

$1.38 ฿46.16

-40.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 MNT 4,895

$1.07 ฿35.69

27.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 MNT 3,322

$0.51 ฿16.91

80.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.73 MNT 9,822

$4.26 ฿142

-35.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.51 MNT 19.8K

$18.58 ฿621

-70.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MNT 6,089

$1.78 ฿59.7

-5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 MNT 5,861

$2.85 ฿95.2

-42.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 MNT 635

$2.26 ฿75.6

-92.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.23 MNT 69.2K

$22.10 ฿738

-12.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 MNT 2,370

$3.01 ฿101

-78.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 MNT 1,448

$1.06 ฿35.34

-62.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 MNT 2,714

$1.45 ฿48.45

-48.28%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

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

$59.0 MNT 212.3K

$96.4 ฿3,221

-38.75%

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

$2.81 MNT 10.1K

$11.04 ฿369

-74.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.90 MNT 50.0K

$17.14 ฿573

-18.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

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

$276 MNT 994.0K

$556 ฿18.6K

-50.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,460 MNT 8.8M

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-78.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$218 MNT 785.6K

$501 ฿16.7K

-56.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Erdenet: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Erdenet

$188 50%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 43% $81

Eating Out

Erdenet

$89 23.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 35.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erdenet

$76 20.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 64.5% $49

Getting Around

Erdenet

$23 6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 74.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Erdenet

- * 0%

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Clothing & Footwear

Erdenet

- * 0%

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Accommodation & Living

Erdenet

- * 0%

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays 129% 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: $28.00 in Erdenet vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $269 per month, with Erdenet cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇳 Erdenet

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

1 h behind Erdenet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,866

79,308

💱 Currency

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MNT – Mongolian Tögrög Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇳 Mongolian Tögrög (₮)

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,596 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,043 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.47 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 MNT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Erdenet Phuket 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Erdenet
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

Erdenet vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erdenet and Phuket differ by about 222% in total monthly costs ($376 vs $1,208 including rent). Erdenet is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 129% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $276 in Erdenet versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $376 in Erdenet versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Erdenet but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Erdenet 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, Erdenet 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 Erdenet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 222% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.