Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bielsko-biala

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,465 in Bielsko-biala, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bielsko-biala outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Bielsko-biala
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Bielsko-biala Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bielsko-biala

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,465

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bielsko-biala

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 Bielsko-biala actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,465 in Bielsko-biala.

Phuket $1,278
Bielsko-biala $1,465

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,112 in Bielsko-biala.

Phuket $2,216
Bielsko-biala $2,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,758 in Bielsko-biala.

Phuket $3,154
Bielsko-biala $2,758

Living in Phuket costs roughly 13% less than in Bielsko-biala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Bielsko-biala is 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.41 zł 37.24

-52.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$46.43 zł 184

-30.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.96 zł 35.45

-1.67%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.64 zł 14.40

-22.25%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.20 zł 8.70

-60.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.36 zł 5.37

-63.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.80 zł 15.02

-32.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.88 zł 15.35

-5.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.02 zł 4.05

62.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.10 zł 4.37

32.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.32 zł 5.23

13.64%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.83 zł 11.21

-26.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.06 zł 31.89

136.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.77 zł 22.82

-42.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.48 zł 37.50

15.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.19 zł 4.70

146.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.61 zł 6.38

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.12 zł 8.40

6.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.91 zł 7.57

8.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.79 zł 3.11

91.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.73 zł 2.89

89.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.00 zł 3.94

7.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.61 zł 2.43

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.83 zł 19.11

-13.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.19 zł 24.48

203.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.11 zł 4.39

63.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.63 zł 6.44

74.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.26 zł 4.98

15.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$35.76 zł 142

58.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.59 zł 6.28

89.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.55 zł 2.18

85.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.25 zł 36.61

-60.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.60 zł 6.32

-8.13%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$29.9K zł 118.5K

-10.55%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$25.8K zł 101.9K

3.64%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$291 zł 1,153

-66.92%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.46 zł 33.46

33.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$17.02 zł 67.4

-1.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$41.22 zł 163

63.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$44.19 zł 175

-75.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.85 zł 27.09

9.49%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$280 zł 1,109

69.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,442 zł 9,664

361.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$72.7 zł 288

-14.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.47 zł 156

-28.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$89.6 zł 355

5.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$95.9 zł 379

-10.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$596 zł 2,358

20.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$539 zł 2,131

-8.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,743 zł 6,899

10.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$845 zł 3,342

69.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,348 zł 9,292

77.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,948 zł 7,709

56.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,462 zł 5,784

-65.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.87

-18.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bielsko-biala: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bielsko-biala

$539 36.8% 9.7% $48

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bielsko-biala

$189 12.9% 28.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bielsko-biala

$317 21.6% 155% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bielsko-biala

$134 9.1% 9.9% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bielsko-biala

$187 12.8% 53.5% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bielsko-biala

$55 3.8% 33.2% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bielsko-biala

$45 3.1% 36% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $596 in Bielsko-biala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bielsko-biala pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $46 in Bielsko-biala. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $189, with Bielsko-biala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇱 Bielsko-biala

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

21:47 9:47 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

169,756

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.96 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.41 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bielsko-biala 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bielsko-biala

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 Bielsko-biala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,465 in Bielsko-biala, so Phuket is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% 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 $596 in Bielsko-biala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bielsko-biala runs roughly 37% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $280 in Bielsko-biala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Bielsko-biala are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Bielsko-biala on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.