Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Barnaul

For one person, living is cheaper in Barnaul: $1,043 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Barnaul
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Barnaul Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Barnaul

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,043

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Barnaul

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 Barnaul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,043 in Barnaul.

Phuket $1,278
Barnaul $1,043

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,595 in Barnaul.

Phuket $2,216
Barnaul $1,595

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,148 in Barnaul.

Phuket $3,154
Barnaul $2,148

Living in Phuket is roughly 23% more expensive than in Barnaul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Barnaul 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.88 ₽957

-62.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$41.51 ₽3,343

-21.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.33 ₽510

39.18%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.71 ₽218

4.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.70 ₽56.7

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.62 ₽50.1

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.21 ₽97.6

111.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.51 ₽121

143.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.09 ₽87.8

52.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.64 ₽51.9

128.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.47 ₽118

2.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.46 ₽118

43.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.35 ₽994

54.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.73 ₽381

-30.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.35 ₽995

-11.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.01 ₽162

45.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.81 ₽146

-6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.99 ₽160

13.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.26 ₽182

-7.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.89 ₽71.8

69.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.51 ₽41.44

170.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.50 ₽121

-28.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.42 ₽33.72

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.28 ₽264

28.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.01 ₽806

87.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.98 ₽78.5

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.45 ₽116

95.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.54 ₽43.49

168.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$37.76 ₽3,041

50.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.64 ₽132

84.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.48 ₽38.79

112.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.25 ₽503

-40.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.88 ₽70.9

67.05%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$42.6K ₽3.4M

-37.18%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$40.4K ₽3.3M

-33.97%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$111 ₽8,904

-12.85%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.25 ₽503

80.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$8.24 ₽663

104.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$18.46 ₽1,487

-41.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.07 ₽408

47.93%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$375 ₽30.2K

26.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$14.7K ₽1.2M

-23.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$65.6 ₽5,284

-4.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$45.83 ₽3,691

-38.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$119 ₽9,585

-20.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$101 ₽8,170

-15.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$456 ₽36.7K

57.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$344 ₽27.7K

42.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$673 ₽54.2K

186.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$531 ₽42.8K

169.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,081 ₽167.6K

100.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,758 ₽141.6K

73.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$667 ₽53.7K

-24.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

22.83

-75.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barnaul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Barnaul

$344 33% 30% $147

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Barnaul

$210 20.1% 21.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Barnaul

$125 12% 0.5% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Barnaul

$149 14.3% 22.5% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Barnaul

$161 15.4% 32.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Barnaul

$10 * 1% 87.7% $72

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Barnaul

$44 4.2% 37.7% $27

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $456 in Barnaul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barnaul pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $42 in Barnaul. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $210, with Barnaul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Barnaul

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

631,124

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Barnaul 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Barnaul

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 Barnaul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barnaul wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Barnaul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $456 in Barnaul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,043 in Barnaul – Barnaul is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Barnaul runs roughly 33% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Barnaul 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.