Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Behbahan

For one person, living is cheaper in Behbahan: $525 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Behbahan
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Behbahan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Behbahan

🇮🇷 Iran

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Behbahan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $525 in Behbahan.

Phuket $1,278
Behbahan $525

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

Phuket $2,216
Behbahan $803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,082 in Behbahan.

Phuket $3,154
Behbahan $1,082

Living in Phuket is roughly 144% more expensive than in Behbahan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Behbahan 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.54 $4.54

-1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$12.93 $12.93

150.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.04 $4.04

118.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 $0.99

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.16 $1.16

143.97%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.66 $0.66

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.91 $0.91

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.67 $0.67

147.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.41 $0.41

256.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.98 $1.98

-24.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.22 $1.22

71.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$2.23 $2.23

755.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.22 $2.22

48.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.90 $9.90

10.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.07 $1.07

173.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.61 $1.61

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.90 $0.90

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.58 $0.58

258.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.57 $0.57

164.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.52 $0.52

165.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.51 $0.51

109.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.19 $0.19

173.68%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.82 $0.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.04 $3.04

38.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.16 $0.16

806.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$10.17 $10.17

457.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.39 $0.39

674.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.22 $0.22

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.46 $3.46

6.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.08 $0.08

1737.50%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$64.3K $64.3K

-58.39%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$53.8K $53.8K

-50.41%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$24.10 $24.10

299.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$2.07 $2.07

443.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$3.89 $3.89

333.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$20.20 $20.20

232.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.77 $14.77

-27.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$2.01 $2.01

273.13%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$104 $104

358.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,406 $2,406

368.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$23.08 $23.08

170.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$18.62 $18.62

52.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$93.5 $93.5

0.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$54.6 $54.6

57.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$322 $322

122.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$204 $204

140.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$766 $766

151.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$321 $321

344.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,027 $1,027

306.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$510 $510

497.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

24.3

-77.08%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Behbahan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Behbahan

$204 38.9% 58.4% $287

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Behbahan

$100 19% 62.5% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Behbahan

$30 5.7% 75.8% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Behbahan

$85 16.3% 30% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Behbahan

$69 13.1% 43.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Behbahan

$24 4.6% 70.5% $58

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Behbahan

$12 2.3% 82.6% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $322 in Behbahan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $13 in Behbahan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $100 per month, with Behbahan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇷 Behbahan

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

00:49 12:49 AM

3 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

122,604

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Behbahan 5,590 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Behbahan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Behbahan is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $787 in Behbahan 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 $322 in Behbahan. 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 $525 in Behbahan – Behbahan is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Behbahan runs roughly 82% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $525 in Behbahan versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Behbahan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Behbahan 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.

Expats usually find Behbahan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.