Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kostroma and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,312 in Kostroma, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Kostroma despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Kostroma
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Kostroma Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kostroma

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,312

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,312 per month in Kostroma vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Kostroma $1,312
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,085 per month in Kostroma vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Kostroma $2,085
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,859 per month in Kostroma vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Kostroma $2,859
Phuket $2,845

Kostroma costs about 9% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kostroma and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Kostroma 3% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 ₽1,002

$4.40 ฿147

172.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 ₽5,102

$32.26 ฿1,078

89.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 ₽601

$8.76 ฿293

-17.81%

Cappuccino

$3.91 ₽326

$2.83 ฿94.5

38.16%

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

$1.62 ₽136

$0.90 ฿30.14

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₽71.1

$0.47 ฿15.56

80.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 ₽150

$2.55 ฿85.2

-29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 ₽441

$3.83 ฿128

38.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₽103

$1.73 ฿57.7

-28.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₽84.3

$1.47 ฿49.11

-31.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 ₽140

$1.51 ฿50.6

11.26%

Eggs

$1.88 ₽157

$2.17 ฿72.7

-13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 ₽1,248

$19.70 ฿658

-24.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.93 ₽578

$3.34 ฿112

107.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 ₽1,248

$11.16 ฿373

33.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₽181

$2.85 ฿95.1

-23.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 ₽152

$1.70 ฿56.9

7.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ₽165

$2.19 ฿73.3

-9.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₽330

$2.05 ฿68.4

93.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ₽74.0

$1.45 ฿48.57

-38.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ₽58.7

$1.38 ฿46.16

-49.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 ₽137

$1.07 ฿35.69

54.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₽78.0

$0.51 ฿16.91

82.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.49 ₽291

$4.26 ฿142

-18.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.31 ₽1,027

$18.58 ฿621

-33.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₽102

$1.78 ฿59.7

-31.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₽212

$2.85 ฿95.2

-10.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₽45.15

$2.26 ฿75.6

-76.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ₽302

$3.01 ฿101

20.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 ₽28.73

$1.06 ฿35.34

-67.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.94 ₽996

$3.86 ฿129

209.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 ₽73.3

$1.45 ฿48.45

-39.31%

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

$42.4K ₽3.5M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

60.88%

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

$40.1K ₽3.3M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

48.89%

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

$191 ₽16.0K

$96.4 ฿3,221

98.54%

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

$8.70 ₽726

$11.04 ฿369

-21.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.88 ₽825

$17.14 ฿573

-42.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 ₽3,365

$52.2 ฿1,744

-22.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.01 ₽2,087

$11.16 ฿373

124.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 ₽791

$7.81 ฿261

21.25%

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

$344 ₽28.7K

$556 ฿18.6K

-38.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,317 ₽527.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-45.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 ₽9,511

$64.2 ฿2,146

77.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.6 ₽5,645

$28.69 ฿959

135.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 ₽12.3K

$95.4 ฿3,187

55.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$189 ₽15.8K

$88.0 ฿2,940

115.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₽41.8K

$737 ฿24.6K

-32.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ₽28.3K

$462 ฿15.5K

-26.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 ₽69.9K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-60.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 ₽53.6K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-46.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ₽185.8K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-36.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,489 ₽124.3K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-40.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$762 ₽63.6K

$501 ฿16.7K

52.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.56

5.57

251.17%

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

Last update for Kostroma: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kostroma

$340 25.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 36.2% $123

Groceries & Markets

Kostroma

$268 20.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Kostroma

$233 17.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 46.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kostroma

$210 16%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 40.7% $85

Eating Out

Kostroma

$194 14.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 37.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Kostroma

$59 4.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 14.4% $8.5

Getting Around

Kostroma

$7.5 * 0.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 426% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Kostroma versus $737 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 52% higher in Kostroma, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Kostroma versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Kostroma vs $269 in Phuket – so Kostroma wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Kostroma

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

4 h ahead of Kostroma

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

277,393

79,308

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 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 RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kostroma Phuket 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kostroma
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kostroma vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kostroma costs about 9% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,968 per month in Kostroma and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Kostroma and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Kostroma – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Kostroma at $1,312. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kostroma it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $1,312 in Kostroma. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kostroma makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.