Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bodrum

For one person, living is cheaper in Bodrum: $1,179 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Phuket, Thailand
Bodrum, Turkey
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Bodrum
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,179
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bodrum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,179 in Bodrum.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Bodrum $1,179

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,287 in Bodrum.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Bodrum $2,287

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,396 in Bodrum.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Bodrum $3,396

Living in Phuket is roughly 8% more expensive than in Bodrum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Bodrum 13% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Bodrum
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$9.63 ₺480
-53.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,092
$59.5 ₺2,965
-45.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$8.60 ₺428
2.44%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.3
$3.56 ₺177
-20.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.37
$1.45 ₺72.2
-40.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.64
$0.83 ₺41.09
-40.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.2
$4.13 ₺206
-38.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$4.79 ₺239
-23.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Bodrum
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.00 ₺49.80
66.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.25
$1.01 ₺50.3
44.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$2.49 ₺124
-39.76%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.4
$2.02 ₺101
3.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿642
$11.95 ₺595
59.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$3.35 ₺167
-1.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$21.04 ₺1,048
-48.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.7
$1.62 ₺80.8
80.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$1.90 ₺94.8
-11.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$0.89 ₺44.36
152.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$1.16 ₺57.8
79.31%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$0.55 ₺27.38
174.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.47
$0.44 ₺21.79
213.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.91
$0.75 ₺37.51
42.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.49
$0.72 ₺35.71
-27.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$2.18 ₺109
92.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿633
$15.31 ₺763
22.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$1.83 ₺91.2
-0.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.7
$1.85 ₺92.1
53.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Bodrum
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$1.08 ₺54.0
34.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,909
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$2.97 ₺148
1.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.29
$0.98 ₺48.68
4.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.70
$1.31 ₺65.2
12.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿902.4K
$42.2K ₺2.1M
-36.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿899.5K
$38.5K ₺1.9M
-30.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Bodrum
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,247
$41.16 ₺2,050
134.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$10.09 ₺503
11.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$10.82 ₺539
55.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Bodrum
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,266
$74.9 ₺3,731
-10.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿361
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$7.08 ₺353
5.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Bodrum
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.0K
$407 ₺20.3K
16.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.6K
$8,729 ₺434.7K
29.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Bodrum
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,102
$99.0 ₺4,930
-37.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿957
$57.8 ₺2,878
-50.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,178
$153 ₺7,622
-38.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,892
$116 ₺5,760
-25.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Bodrum
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$597 ₺29.7K
19.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.5K
$399 ₺19.9K
23.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿64.9K
$1,318 ₺65.6K
46.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.2K
$1,480 ₺73.7K
-3.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.7K
$2,860 ₺142.4K
46.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.6K
$2,386 ₺118.8K
27.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Bodrum
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$1,057 ₺52.6K
-52.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
38.25
-85.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bodrum: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Bodrum
$399 18.8% $92
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Bodrum
$240 9.7% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Bodrum
$62 50.1% $62
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Bodrum
$191 57.1% $70
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Bodrum
$185 51.9% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Bodrum
$89 8.3% $6.8
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Bodrum
$12 * 82.7% $58

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 $597 in Bodrum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bodrum pays about 2.1 times 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 $60 in Bodrum. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $240, with Bodrum cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇹🇷 Bodrum
🕒 Local time
08:01 8:01 AM
04:01 4:01 AM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
187,284
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 49.8 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.44 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Bodrum 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Bodrum

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 Bodrum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Bodrum?
Bodrum wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bodrum the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Phuket or in Bodrum?
On paper, salaries run 52% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Phuket compared to Bodrum?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $597 in Bodrum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Phuket or in Bodrum?
Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Bodrum?
All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,179 in Bodrum – Bodrum is about 8% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Phuket or in Bodrum?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bodrum is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Phuket or Bodrum?
Both work as nomad bases, but Bodrum delivers better value at $1,179 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bodrum hard to pass up.
How safe is Phuket compared to Bodrum?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Bodrum are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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