Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iskenderun and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Iskenderun: $941 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Iskenderun
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Iskenderun Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Iskenderun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$941

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $941 per month in Iskenderun vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Iskenderun $941
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,484 per month in Iskenderun vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Iskenderun $1,484
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,027 per month in Iskenderun vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Iskenderun $2,027
Phuket $3,154

Iskenderun is about 26% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Iskenderun and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Iskenderun 31% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.94 ₺296

$4.47 ฿151

32.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.11 ₺1,500

$32.41 ฿1,094

-7.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 ₺306

$8.81 ฿297

-30.42%

Cappuccino

$3.16 ₺158

$2.83 ฿95.5

11.66%

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

$1.12 ₺55.7

$0.87 ฿29.43

28.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₺13.46

$0.49 ฿16.67

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 ₺123

$2.56 ฿86.4

-3.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ₺138

$3.68 ฿124

-24.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 ₺51.2

$1.66 ฿56.0

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₺37.23

$1.46 ฿49.35

-48.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 ₺84.5

$1.50 ฿50.6

13.33%

Eggs

$1.85 ₺92.0

$2.09 ฿70.5

-11.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.03 ₺350

$19.07 ฿644

-63.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 ₺204

$3.30 ฿111

24.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.99 ₺897

$10.91 ฿368

64.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.3

$2.93 ฿99.0

-43.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.6

$1.69 ฿57.1

7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ₺45.96

$2.25 ฿75.8

-59.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₺53.1

$2.08 ฿70.1

-49.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ₺24.85

$1.51 ฿51.0

-66.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ₺18.78

$1.38 ฿46.56

-72.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ₺46.18

$1.07 ฿35.99

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₺30.23

$0.52 ฿17.52

17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.13 ₺106

$4.20 ฿142

-49.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.01 ₺499

$18.79 ฿634

-46.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₺115

$1.82 ฿61.5

26.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 ₺164

$2.84 ฿95.9

15.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 ₺39.73

$1.45 ฿49.03

-44.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₺51.0

$3.02 ฿102

-66.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 ₺25.45

$1.02 ฿34.36

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 ₺502

$3.69 ฿125

173.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ₺64.5

$1.47 ฿49.81

-12.24%

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

$42.7K ₺2.1M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

59.40%

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

$37.9K ₺1.9M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

42.14%

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

$92.1 ₺4,589

$96.4 ฿3,254

-4.42%

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

$9.28 ₺463

$11.26 ฿380

-17.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.95 ₺546

$16.85 ฿569

-35.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.70 ₺2,328

$67.2 ฿2,270

-30.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ₺303

$7.50 ฿253

-18.93%

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

$446 ₺22.2K

$476 ฿16.1K

-6.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,164 ₺357.0K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-36.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 ₺2,718

$62.4 ฿2,106

-12.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.84 ₺1,437

$28.41 ฿959

1.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ₺5,644

$94.3 ฿3,184

20.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₺5,394

$85.8 ฿2,898

26.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₺20.0K

$716 ฿24.2K

-43.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₺14.5K

$491 ฿16.6K

-40.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 ₺37.6K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-60.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 ₺29.4K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-58.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,214 ₺60.5K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-70.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$892 ₺44.4K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-70.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 ₺55.6K

$502 ฿17.0K

122.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

528.37%

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

Last update for Iskenderun: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iskenderun

$292 31%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 68.3% $199

Groceries & Markets

Iskenderun

$207 22%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 28.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Iskenderun

$137 14.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.2% $15

Eating Out

Iskenderun

$127 13.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.4% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iskenderun

$112 11.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 10.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Iskenderun

$59 6.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 39.7% $23

Getting Around

Iskenderun

$6.8 * 0.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 943% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Iskenderun 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 in Iskenderun are about 2.2 times higher, 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 $30 in Iskenderun versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $266 – making Iskenderun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Iskenderun

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:58 8:58 PM

00:58 12:58 AM

4 h ahead of Iskenderun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,639

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 = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iskenderun Phuket 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Iskenderun
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

Iskenderun vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,412 per month in Iskenderun 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 Iskenderun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $941 in Iskenderun and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 36%.

Kindergarten costs $446 per month in Iskenderun and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Iskenderun – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.