Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bushehr

For one person, living is cheaper in Bushehr: $518 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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 Bushehr
Learn more

Bushehr Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bushehr

🇮🇷 Iran

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bushehr

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $518 in Bushehr.

Phuket $1,278
Bushehr $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $805 in Bushehr.

Phuket $2,216
Bushehr $805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,091 in Bushehr.

Phuket $3,154
Bushehr $1,091

Living in Phuket is roughly 147% more expensive than in Bushehr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Bushehr 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.53 $4.53

-1.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$12.80 $12.80

153.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.10 $4.10

114.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 $1.02

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.22 $1.22

131.97%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.62 $0.62

40.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.03 $1.03

-52.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.51 $0.51

225.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.29 $0.29

403.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.81 $1.81

-17.13%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.99 $0.99

111.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$1.46 $1.46

1206.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.94 $2.94

12.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.89 $9.89

10.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$0.57 $0.57

414.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.46 $1.46

15.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.94 $0.94

139.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.52 $0.52

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.48 $0.48

214.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.29 $0.29

375.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.51 $0.51

109.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.20 $0.20

160.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.58 $0.58

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 $0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.08 $3.08

36.36%

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 ฿49.00

$0.13 $0.13

1015.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$9.67 $9.67

485.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.38 $0.38

694.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.31 $0.31

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.53 $3.53

4.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.09 $0.09

1533.33%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$60.0K $60.0K

-55.36%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$48.4K $48.4K

-44.85%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$20.18 $20.18

377.45%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$1.59 $1.59

608.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$3.97 $3.97

324.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$19.16 $19.16

250.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.66 $13.66

-21.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.94 $1.94

286.60%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$50.9 $50.9

835.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$608 $608

1753.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$22.67 $22.67

175.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$18.74 $18.74

51.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$96.2 $96.2

-1.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$55.5 $55.5

54.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$295 $295

142.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$208 $208

135.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$327 $327

489.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$353 $353

305.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,143 $1,143

265.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$531 $531

473.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$282 $282

77.95%

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 Bushehr: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bushehr

$208 40.2% 57.6% $283

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bushehr

$92 17.8% 65.3% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bushehr

$26 5% 79.3% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bushehr

$87 16.8% 28.7% $35

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bushehr

$70 13.5% 42.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bushehr

$23 4.5% 72% $59

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bushehr

$12 2.3% 82.8% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $295 in Bushehr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 78% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $13 in Bushehr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $92 per month, with Bushehr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇷 Bushehr

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

08:09 8:09 AM

3 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

223,504

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Bushehr 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bushehr

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 Bushehr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bushehr wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bushehr the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $295 in Bushehr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bushehr runs roughly 83% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $51 in Bushehr. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $518 in Bushehr versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Bushehr but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bushehr 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Bushehr are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bushehr 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.