Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bialystok

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,461 in Bialystok, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Bialystok
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Bialystok Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Bialystok

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bialystok

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,461 in Bialystok, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Bialystok $1,461

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,069 in Bialystok, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Bialystok $2,069

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,676 in Bialystok, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Bialystok $2,676

Phuket is about 17% cheaper than Bialystok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Bialystok is 8% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$9.91 zł 38.49

-55.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$45.57 zł 177

-29.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$8.85 zł 34.37

-1.02%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.55 zł 13.78

-20.28%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.90 zł 7.40

-52.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.51 zł 5.87

-68.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$3.57 zł 13.88

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.03 zł 11.75

26.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.06 zł 4.14

63.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.00 zł 3.88

47.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.23 zł 8.65

-32.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.76 zł 14.59

-42.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.39 zł 36.49

109.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.62 zł 21.84

-40.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.23 zł 43.61

-0.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.24 zł 4.83

129.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.76 zł 6.84

-3.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.59 zł 6.19

37.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.03 zł 7.90

0.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.06 zł 4.10

36.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.19 zł 4.61

15.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.17 zł 4.55

-8.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.60 zł 2.35

-15.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.08 zł 19.75

-16.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$6.12 zł 23.78

203.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.22 zł 4.73

45.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.54 zł 5.97

85.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.07 zł 4.16

111.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$33.47 zł 130

-33.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.11 zł 8.19

42.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.66 zł 2.55

60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$13.02 zł 50.6

-70.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.62 zł 6.29

-10.49%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$30.8K zł 119.8K

-14.59%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$28.8K zł 112.0K

-6.55%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$299 zł 1,164

-67.82%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$8.25 zł 32.05

33.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$18.22 zł 70.8

-5.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$41.41 zł 161

26.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$27.67 zł 108

-59.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$8.25 zł 32.07

-5.33%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$351 zł 1,363

58.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$4,337 zł 16.9K

166.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$98.1 zł 381

-34.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$36.44 zł 142

-21.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$87.1 zł 338

9.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$88.4 zł 343

-0.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$544 zł 2,113

35.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$502 zł 1,951

-7.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$822 zł 3,194

154.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$717 zł 2,786

67.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,669 zł 10.4K

30.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,324 zł 9,030

8.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,447 zł 5,622

-65.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.07

-21.22%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bialystok: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Bialystok

$502 34.4% 8.6% $40

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Bialystok

$207 14.2% 23% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Bialystok

$326 22.3% 162% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Bialystok

$140 9.6% 12.2% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Bialystok

$186 12.7% 53.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Bialystok

$58 4% 14.6% $9.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Bialystok

$43 3% 9.4% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $544 in Bialystok. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 189% higher in Bialystok, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $46.00 in Bialystok. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Phuket vs $207 in Bialystok – so Bialystok wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇱 Bialystok

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

00:05 12:05 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

297,554

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bialystok 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bialystok

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 Bialystok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bialystok costs about 21% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $2,192 in Bialystok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $351 in Bialystok. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 30% cheaper in Bialystok – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Bialystok at $1,461. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bialystok it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $1,461 in Bialystok. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bialystok makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.