Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Murmansk and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Murmansk: $1,095 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Murmansk, Russia
Phuket, Thailand
Murmansk
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,095
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,095 per month in Murmansk vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Murmansk $1,095
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,700 per month in Murmansk vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Murmansk $1,700
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,305 per month in Murmansk vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Murmansk $2,305
  • Phuket $3,154

Murmansk is about 14% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Murmansk and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Murmansk 20% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Murmansk
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.01 ₽888
$4.47 ฿151
146.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.21 ₽3,162
$32.41 ฿1,094
20.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.55 ₽528
$8.81 ฿297
-25.65%
Cappuccino
$2.92 ₽236
$2.83 ฿95.5
3.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 ₽97.8
$0.87 ฿29.43
39.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 ₽50.9
$0.49 ฿16.67
28.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.61 ₽130
$2.56 ฿86.4
-37.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30 ₽266
$3.68 ฿124
-10.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Murmansk
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 ₽92.6
$1.66 ฿56.0
-30.72%
White Bread (500g)
$0.79 ₽63.7
$1.46 ฿49.35
-45.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 ₽119
$1.50 ฿50.6
-2.00%
Eggs
$1.59 ₽128
$2.09 ฿70.5
-23.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.85 ₽956
$19.07 ฿644
-37.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.40 ₽436
$3.30 ฿111
63.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.90 ₽960
$10.91 ฿368
9.07%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₽150
$2.93 ฿99.0
-36.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 ₽134
$1.69 ฿57.1
-1.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.72 ₽139
$2.25 ฿75.8
-23.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.40 ₽194
$2.08 ฿70.1
15.38%
Potato (1kg)
$0.80 ₽64.3
$1.51 ฿51.0
-47.02%
Onion (1kg)
$0.60 ₽48.61
$1.38 ฿46.56
-56.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 ₽106
$1.07 ฿35.99
22.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 ₽52.0
$0.52 ฿17.52
25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.34 ₽270
$4.20 ฿142
-20.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.64 ₽697
$18.79 ฿634
-54.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 ₽87.3
$1.82 ฿61.5
-40.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 ₽170
$2.84 ฿95.9
-25.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Murmansk
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.65 ₽52.1
$1.45 ฿49.03
-55.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.91 ₽2,573
$56.7 ฿1,913
-43.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.59 ₽209
$3.02 ฿102
-14.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 ₽30.55
$1.02 ฿34.36
-62.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 ₽483
$3.69 ฿125
62.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 ₽66.7
$1.47 ฿49.81
-43.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$53.2K ₽4.3M
$26.8K ฿904.3K
98.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K ₽3.3M
$26.7K ฿901.3K
53.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Murmansk
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 ₽9,294
$96.4 ฿3,254
19.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.73 ₽543
$11.26 ฿380
-40.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.69 ₽701
$16.85 ฿569
-48.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Murmansk
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.42 ₽3,018
$67.2 ฿2,270
-44.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.10 ₽1,943
$10.73 ฿362
124.60%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ₽524
$7.50 ฿253
-13.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Murmansk
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$362 ₽29.2K
$476 ฿16.1K
-23.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,537 ₽527.2K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-41.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Murmansk
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.8 ₽6,838
$62.4 ฿2,106
35.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.9 ₽4,344
$28.41 ฿959
89.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 ₽10.0K
$94.3 ฿3,184
32.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 ₽8,601
$85.8 ฿2,898
24.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Murmansk
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ₽38.9K
$716 ฿24.2K
-32.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 ₽26.8K
$491 ฿16.6K
-32.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 ₽83.3K
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-46.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$571 ₽46.0K
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-60.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,272 ₽183.2K
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-45.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,523 ₽122.8K
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-49.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Murmansk
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$502 ฿17.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
21.45
5.57
285.10%

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

Last update for Murmansk: 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
Murmansk
$332
Phuket
$491 47.6% $158
Groceries & Markets
Murmansk
$211
Phuket
$266 25.9% $55
Clothing & Footwear
Murmansk
$166
Phuket
$122 26.8% $45
Eating Out
Murmansk
$165
Phuket
$122 26.1% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Murmansk
$131
Phuket
$124 4.7% $6.2
Sport & Entertainment
Murmansk
$50
Phuket
$82 63.1% $32
Getting Around
Murmansk
$39
Phuket
$71 81.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Murmansk 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Murmansk versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $211 in Murmansk vs $266 in Phuket – so Murmansk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇷🇺 Murmansk
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
00:06 12:06 AM
04:06 4:06 AM
4 h ahead of Murmansk
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
282,851
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 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
  • Murmansk Phuket 8,220 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Murmansk
  • 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
Murmansk vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Murmansk and in Phuket compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,095 in Murmansk, $1,278 in Phuket – Murmansk comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Murmansk compared to Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,643 per month in Murmansk and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Murmansk and Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Murmansk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $716 in Phuket.
Which city is more expensive overall: Murmansk or Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,095 in Murmansk and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Murmansk about 14% cheaper.
How do commuting costs compare in Murmansk and in Phuket?
Public transport costs about 44% less in Murmansk. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How far does $2,000 go in Murmansk compared to Phuket?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,095 in Murmansk and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Murmansk or Phuket?
Families tend to lean toward Murmansk – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Murmansk or Phuket safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Murmansk vs other spots: cost of living compared

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