Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Burgas

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgas: $1,232 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Burgas
Learn more

Burgas Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Burgas

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Burgas

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,232 in Burgas, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Burgas $1,232

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,825 in Burgas, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Burgas $1,825

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,419 in Burgas, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Burgas $2,419

Phuket costs about 4% more than Burgas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Burgas are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Burgas 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.35 BGN 23.37

-66.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$43.72 BGN 76.5

-25.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.55 BGN 20.21

-23.72%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.37 BGN 5.90

-16.02%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.06 BGN 1.86

-17.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.79 BGN 1.38

-37.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.04 BGN 3.57

25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.78 BGN 4.87

32.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.69 BGN 2.96

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.99 BGN 1.74

47.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.01 BGN 3.51

-25.37%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.23 BGN 5.66

-35.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.86 BGN 17.26

93.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.81 BGN 15.42

-62.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.58 BGN 20.26

-5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.34 BGN 4.09

25.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.05 BGN 3.58

-17.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.05 BGN 3.58

9.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.55 BGN 4.47

-18.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.67 BGN 2.92

-9.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.42 BGN 2.48

-2.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.93 BGN 1.64

15.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.88 BGN 1.54

-40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.56 BGN 6.23

17.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.81 BGN 11.92

175.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.03 BGN 1.81

76.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.91 BGN 3.34

48.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.87 BGN 1.52

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$33.96 BGN 59.4

66.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.75 BGN 3.07

72.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.76 BGN 1.33

34.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$12.09 BGN 21.16

-69.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.67 BGN 2.92

-11.98%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$30.3K BGN 53.0K

-11.67%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$23.5K BGN 41.2K

13.43%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$103 BGN 180

-6.57%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.39 BGN 25.18

-21.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$11.76 BGN 20.59

43.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$37.79 BGN 66.1

77.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.31 BGN 25.04

-25.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.74 BGN 15.29

-14.19%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$230 BGN 402

107.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$14.7K BGN 25.7K

-23.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$58.0 BGN 102

7.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$29.82 BGN 52.2

-4.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$70.8 BGN 124

33.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$74.7 BGN 131

14.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$569 BGN 995

25.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$448 BGN 784

9.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$803 BGN 1,404

140.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$612 BGN 1,072

133.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,581 BGN 4,516

61.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,888 BGN 3,304

61.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,002 BGN 1,754

-49.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.25

71.38%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Burgas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Burgas

$448 36.4% 8.7% $43

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Burgas

$246 20% 7.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Burgas

$129 10.5% 3.9% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Burgas

$105 8.5% 13.8% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Burgas

$205 16.7% 68.5% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Burgas

$55 4.5% 32.8% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Burgas

$43 3.5% 39.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $569 in Burgas. 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 100% higher in Burgas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $44 in Burgas. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $246 in Burgas – so Burgas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇬 Burgas

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

189,741

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Burgas 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Burgas

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 Burgas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,232 in Burgas – Burgas comes out roughly 4% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,847 in Burgas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Burgas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $569 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Burgas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $230 in Burgas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,232 in Burgas, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Burgas costs $1,232 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.