Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Artem Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Artem

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,199 in Artem.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,781 in Artem.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $2,363 in Artem.

Living in Phuket is roughly 3% more expensive than Artem, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Artem 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$15.37 ₽1,155

-69.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$37.69 ₽2,831

24.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$5.79 ₽435

52.68%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.91 ₽219

3.09%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$1.04 ₽78.3

-28.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.67 ₽50.6

-44.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$1.26 ₽94.3

93.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$3.13 ₽235

15.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.57 ₽118

43.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.73 ₽54.6

152.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$1.77 ₽133

26.55%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.74 ₽206

-15.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$11.33 ₽851

73.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$5.97 ₽448

-38.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$10.76 ₽808

21.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.54 ₽191

33.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$2.27 ₽171

-27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$2.70 ₽202

-10.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$3.08 ₽232

-34.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.86 ₽64.7

81.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.79 ₽59.1

89.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$1.67 ₽126

-38.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$1.17 ₽87.8

-58.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$3.02 ₽227

47.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$10.04 ₽754

88.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.10 ₽82.8

61.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$3.24 ₽243

-15.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.50 ₽37.37

180.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$1.85 ₽139

68.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.15 ₽11.46

566.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$6.40 ₽481

120.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$0.73 ₽54.5

84.93%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$32.2K ₽2.4M

-15.63%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$37.5K ₽2.8M

-12.19%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$179 ₽13.5K

-30.28%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$5.73 ₽430

136.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$8.78 ₽659

110.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$35.02 ₽2,630

75.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$5.65 ₽424

62.65%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$486 ₽36.5K

43.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$6,887 ₽517.3K

126.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$121 ₽9,052

-52.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$59.6 ₽4,479

-40.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$80.7 ₽6,059

40.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$150 ₽11.3K

-42.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$439 ₽32.9K

40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$305 ₽22.9K

46.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$770 ₽57.8K

165.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$516 ₽38.8K

188.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$2,113 ₽158.7K

78.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$1,402 ₽105.3K

88.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

-74.62%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Artem: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $439 in Artem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $38.00 in Artem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $247 per month, with Artem cheaper across the board.

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 3% 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 $1,847 in Phuket and $1,798 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: $616 in Phuket versus $439 in Artem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $486 in Artem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Artem – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,199 in Artem versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Artem but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Artem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Artem delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,199 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Artem hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Artem are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Artem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.