Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Artem

For one person, living is cheaper in Artem: $1,165 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Artem
Learn more

Artem Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Artem

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Artem

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Artem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,165 in Artem.

Phuket $1,278
Artem $1,165

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,803 in Artem.

Phuket $2,216
Artem $1,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,441 in Artem.

Phuket $3,154
Artem $2,441

Living in Phuket is roughly 10% more expensive than in Artem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Artem 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.31 ₽984

-63.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$36.87 ₽2,949

-12.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.68 ₽534

31.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.10 ₽248

-8.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.08 ₽86.4

-19.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.67 ₽53.4

-26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.41 ₽113

81.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.25 ₽180

63.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.70 ₽136

-2.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.67 ₽53.4

117.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.71 ₽137

-12.28%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.41 ₽193

-13.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$13.35 ₽1,068

42.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.12 ₽490

-46.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.46 ₽917

-4.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.91 ₽233

0.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.04 ₽163

-17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.84 ₽227

-20.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.23 ₽338

-50.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.00 ₽79.8

51.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.01 ₽80.7

36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.29 ₽103

-17.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.13 ₽90.7

-53.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.94 ₽235

42.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$7.72 ₽617

143.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.19 ₽94.9

52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.36 ₽188

20.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.56 ₽44.40

158.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$27.71 ₽2,217

104.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.46 ₽197

22.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.37 ₽29.80

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$5.91 ₽473

-37.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.83 ₽66.4

77.11%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$52.5K ₽4.2M

-48.98%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$41.2K ₽3.3M

-35.29%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$159 ₽12.7K

-39.52%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.41 ₽673

33.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$9.50 ₽760

77.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$36.08 ₽2,885

86.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$24.08 ₽1,926

-55.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.35 ₽428

40.19%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$346 ₽27.7K

37.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$6,363 ₽509.0K

77.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$82.0 ₽6,555

-23.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$59.3 ₽4,741

-52.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$99.6 ₽7,964

-5.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$126 ₽10.1K

-31.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$483 ₽38.7K

48.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$313 ₽25.0K

56.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$885 ₽70.8K

117.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$564 ₽45.1K

153.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,296 ₽183.7K

81.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,472 ₽117.7K

106.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

23.6

-76.40%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Artem: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Artem

$313 26.9% 36.3% $178

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Artem

$254 21.8% 4.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Artem

$177 15.2% 42.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Artem

$165 14.2% 35.3% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Artem

$174 15% 43.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Artem

$47 4% 43.1% $35

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Artem

$34 2.9% 51.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $483 in Artem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $37 in Artem. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $254, with Artem cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Artem

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

11:21 11:21 AM

3 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

104,926

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 RUB = 1.25 USD

100 RUB = 1.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 79.99 RUB (100 RUB = 1.25 USD). 1 EUR = 89.04 RUB (100 RUB = 1.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Artem 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Artem

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

Phuket vs Artem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Artem wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Artem the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,747 in Artem to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $483 in Artem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Artem runs roughly 51% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $346 in Artem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Artem is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.