Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karabuk and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Karabuk: $656 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Karabuk, Turkey
Phuket, Thailand
Karabuk
🇹🇷 Turkey
$656
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $656 in Karabuk versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Karabuk $656
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,031 in Karabuk versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Karabuk $1,031
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,405 in Karabuk versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Karabuk $1,405
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Karabuk costs roughly 49% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karabuk 52% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karabuk
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.85 ₺391
$4.47 ฿151
75.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.97 ₺1,194
$32.41 ฿1,094
-26.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.96 ₺397
$8.81 ฿297
-9.65%
Cappuccino
$3.45 ₺172
$2.83 ฿95.5
21.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₺53.8
$0.87 ฿29.43
24.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₺15.47
$0.49 ฿16.67
-36.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.59 ₺79.1
$2.56 ฿86.4
-37.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 ₺137
$3.68 ฿124
-25.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karabuk
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.85 ₺42.23
$1.66 ฿56.0
-48.80%
White Bread (500g)
$0.31 ₺15.50
$1.46 ฿49.35
-78.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 ₺129
$1.50 ฿50.6
72.67%
Eggs
$2.60 ₺129
$2.09 ฿70.5
24.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.00 ₺299
$19.07 ฿644
-68.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.08 ₺203
$3.30 ฿111
23.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.97 ₺497
$10.91 ฿368
-8.62%
Apples (1kg)
$1.44 ₺71.6
$2.93 ฿99.0
-50.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ₺84.3
$1.69 ฿57.1
-
Oranges (1kg)
$0.76 ₺37.93
$2.25 ฿75.8
-66.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.78 ₺39.08
$2.08 ฿70.1
-62.50%
Potato (1kg)
$0.50 ₺24.71
$1.51 ฿51.0
-66.89%
Onion (1kg)
$0.43 ₺21.25
$1.38 ฿46.56
-68.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.38 ₺19.13
$1.07 ฿35.99
-64.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₺15.57
$0.52 ฿17.52
-40.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.77 ₺88.2
$4.20 ฿142
-57.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.01 ₺249
$18.79 ฿634
-73.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 ₺78.1
$1.82 ฿61.5
-13.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 ₺103
$2.84 ฿95.9
-27.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Karabuk
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.62 ₺31.02
$1.45 ฿49.03
-57.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.58 ₺28.81
$3.02 ฿102
-80.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.86 ₺42.83
$1.02 ฿34.36
-15.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.69 ฿125
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 ₺65.5
$1.47 ฿49.81
-10.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.2K ₺2.1M
$26.8K ฿904.3K
54.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.4K ₺1.9M
$26.7K ฿901.3K
43.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karabuk
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.9 ₺3,832
$96.4 ฿3,254
-20.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.14 ₺256
$11.26 ฿380
-54.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.19 ₺508
$16.85 ฿569
-39.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karabuk
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$17.04 ₺849
$67.2 ฿2,270
-74.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.01 ₺300
$10.73 ฿362
-43.99%
Cinema Ticket
$3.98 ₺198
$7.50 ฿253
-46.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karabuk
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$450 ₺22.4K
$476 ฿16.1K
-5.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,045 ₺301.3K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-46.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karabuk
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$20.44 ₺1,019
$62.4 ฿2,106
-67.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.20 ₺1,405
$28.41 ฿959
-0.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$40.49 ₺2,018
$94.3 ฿3,184
-57.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.76 ₺2,031
$85.8 ฿2,898
-52.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karabuk
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$247 ₺12.3K
$716 ฿24.2K
-65.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$172 ₺8,557
$491 ฿16.6K
-65.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$450 ₺22.4K
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-76.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$331 ₺16.5K
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-76.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,632 ₺81.3K
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-60.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$592 ₺29.5K
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-80.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karabuk
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,215 ₺60.6K
$502 ฿17.0K
141.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
41
5.57
636.09%

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

Last update for Karabuk: 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
Karabuk
$172
Phuket
$491 186% $319
Groceries & Markets
Karabuk
$155
Phuket
$266 72.3% $112
Eating Out
Karabuk
$147
Phuket
$122 17.2% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karabuk
$92
Phuket
$124 35% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Karabuk
$58
Phuket
$122 109% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Karabuk
$25
Phuket
$82 229% $57
Getting Around
Karabuk
$7.4 *
Phuket
$71 858% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $247 in Karabuk and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karabuk pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24 in Karabuk vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $155 vs $266 per month, with Karabuk cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Karabuk
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
00:50 12:50 AM
04:50 4:50 AM
4 h ahead of Karabuk
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
123,309
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Karabuk Phuket 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Karabuk
  • 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
Karabuk vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Karabuk or Phuket?
Karabuk wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Karabuk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Karabuk or in Phuket?
Average pay in Karabuk is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Karabuk compared to Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $247 in Karabuk versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Karabuk or in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Karabuk compared to Phuket?
All in, you’ll spend $656 per month in Karabuk versus $1,278 in Phuket – Karabuk is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Karabuk or in Phuket?
At $656 in Karabuk versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Karabuk but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Karabuk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Karabuk or Phuket?
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.
How safe is Karabuk compared to Phuket?
Safety-wise, Karabuk and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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