Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novokuznetsk and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,435 in Novokuznetsk, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Novokuznetsk despite lower rent and utilities.

69

Cost of Living Index in Novokuznetsk
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Novokuznetsk Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Novokuznetsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,435

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,435 in Novokuznetsk versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Novokuznetsk $1,435
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,321 in Novokuznetsk versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Novokuznetsk $2,321
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,206 in Novokuznetsk versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Novokuznetsk $3,206
Phuket $3,154

Living in Novokuznetsk is roughly 12% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Novokuznetsk is 5% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.48 ₽1,005

$4.47 ฿151

179.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 ₽4,954

$32.41 ฿1,093

89.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.85 ₽551

$8.81 ฿297

-22.25%

Cappuccino

$2.63 ₽212

$2.83 ฿95.4

-7.07%

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

$2.12 ₽171

$0.87 ฿29.41

143.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₽92.2

$0.49 ฿16.65

132.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.22 ₽340

$2.56 ฿86.3

64.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₽495

$3.68 ฿124

67.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ₽118

$1.66 ฿55.9

-12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 ₽69.8

$1.46 ฿49.31

-40.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ₽114

$1.50 ฿50.5

-6.00%

Eggs

$1.67 ₽135

$2.09 ฿70.5

-20.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 ₽712

$19.07 ฿643

-53.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.45 ₽600

$3.30 ฿111

125.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 ₽766

$10.91 ฿368

-12.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₽165

$2.93 ฿98.9

-30.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ₽183

$1.69 ฿57.0

34.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 ₽200

$2.25 ฿75.8

10.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 ₽335

$2.08 ฿70.0

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ₽71.6

$1.51 ฿51.0

-41.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ₽45.75

$1.38 ฿46.52

-58.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 ₽122

$1.07 ฿35.96

42.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₽58.1

$0.52 ฿17.51

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ₽293

$4.20 ฿142

-13.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.25 ₽504

$18.79 ฿634

-66.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ₽146

$1.82 ฿61.5

-0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₽221

$2.84 ฿95.8

-3.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ₽50.8

$1.45 ฿48.98

-56.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.35 ₽2,525

$56.7 ฿1,912

-44.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₽149

$3.02 ฿102

-38.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₽48.17

$1.02 ฿34.33

-41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₽72.3

$1.47 ฿49.76

-38.78%

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

$34.2K ₽2.8M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

27.63%

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

$34.9K ₽2.8M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

30.90%

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

$227 ₽18.3K

$96.4 ฿3,251

136.09%

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

$5.31 ₽428

$11.26 ฿380

-52.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.59 ₽531

$16.85 ฿568

-60.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ₽4,250

$67.2 ฿2,268

-21.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.05 ₽2,339

$10.73 ฿362

170.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 ₽608

$7.50 ฿253

0.67%

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

$705 ₽56.8K

$476 ฿16.1K

48.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ₽1.4M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

58.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$147 ₽11.8K

$62.4 ฿2,104

135.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$85.9 ₽6,915

$28.41 ฿958

202.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$184 ₽14.8K

$94.3 ฿3,181

95.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$371 ₽29.8K

$85.8 ฿2,895

331.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 ₽37.8K

$716 ฿24.2K

-34.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ₽24.8K

$491 ฿16.6K

-37.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$984 ₽79.3K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-48.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 ₽56.0K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-51.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,232 ₽179.8K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-46.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,546 ₽124.5K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-49.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ₽47.6K

$502 ฿16.9K

17.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.75

5.57

308.44%

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

Last update for Novokuznetsk: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

Novokuznetsk

$354 24.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 65.6% $232

Accommodation & Living

Novokuznetsk

$308 21.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 59.2% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novokuznetsk

$239 16.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 48% $115

Groceries & Markets

Novokuznetsk

$228 15.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 16.7% $38

Eating Out

Novokuznetsk

$198 13.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 38.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Novokuznetsk

$68 4.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 21.2% $14

Getting Around

Novokuznetsk

$39 2.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 82.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $470 in Novokuznetsk and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novokuznetsk pays 18% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Novokuznetsk vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $228 vs $266, with Novokuznetsk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Novokuznetsk

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

Same time as Novokuznetsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

544,583

79,308

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Novokuznetsk Phuket 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Novokuznetsk
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

Novokuznetsk vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,435 in Novokuznetsk and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Novokuznetsk, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $470 in Novokuznetsk versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $62 in Novokuznetsk. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,435 per month in Novokuznetsk versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Novokuznetsk on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.