Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Baku Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Baku

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $904 in Baku.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,425 in Baku.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $1,946 in Baku.

Living in Phuket is roughly 38% more expensive than in Baku, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Baku 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$8.84 ₼15.02

-48.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$34.67 ₼58.9

33.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$7.63 ₼12.97

15.86%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$3.70 ₼6.29

-17.30%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$0.83 ₼1.41

-12.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.47 ₼0.79

-14.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$1.73 ₼2.95

40.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$2.98 ₼5.07

26.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$1.38 ₼2.34

63.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.51 ₼0.87

254.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.26 ₼3.84

-0.44%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$1.35 ₼2.29

66.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$5.28 ₼8.96

269.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$4.87 ₼8.28

-25.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$10.33 ₼17.56

26.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$1.33 ₼2.25

142.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.80 ₼3.06

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$1.47 ₼2.49

61.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$1.88 ₼3.20

7.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$0.77 ₼1.31

98.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.51 ₼0.87

194.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$0.39 ₼0.67

151.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.65 ₼1.11

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$3.57 ₼6.06

24.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$8.65 ₼14.69

111.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.33 ₼2.26

39.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$2.78 ₼4.72

-3.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$0.30 ₼0.51

370.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$17.38 ₼29.54

-32.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$2.01 ₼3.42

54.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$0.57 ₼0.97

82.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$3.48 ₼5.91

305.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$0.74 ₼1.26

77.03%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$20.0K ₼34.0K

39.19%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$22.4K ₼38.0K

48.42%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$61.6 ₼105

98.90%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$11.90 ₼20.23

14.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$15.40 ₼26.17

21.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$43.36 ₼73.7

39.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$22.51 ₼38.25

-24.57%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$5.95 ₼10.12

52.44%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$253 ₼431

178.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$6,443 ₼10.9K

145.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$57.4 ₼97.5

2.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$54.2 ₼92.1

-34.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$123 ₼209

-6.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$98.5 ₼167

-14.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$475 ₼807

31.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$268 ₼455

66.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$958 ₼1,628

113.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$449 ₼764

232.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$2,262 ₼3,845

53.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$1,272 ₼2,163

102.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$556 ₼944

-10.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

8.87

-39.91%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Baku: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $475 in Baku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baku pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $35.00 in Baku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $179 per month, with Baku 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 Baku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Baku differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,250 vs $904 including rent). Baku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Baku. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $626 in Phuket versus $475 in Baku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $253 in Baku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $904 in Baku versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baku but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Baku the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Baku 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 Baku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.