Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Darkhan

For one person, living is cheaper in Darkhan: $655 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Darkhan
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Darkhan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Darkhan

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$655

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Darkhan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $655 in Darkhan.

Phuket $1,190
Darkhan $655

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $1,075 in Darkhan.

Phuket $2,006
Darkhan $1,075

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $1,496 in Darkhan.

Phuket $2,822
Darkhan $1,496

Living in Phuket is roughly 82% more expensive than in Darkhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Darkhan 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$5.46 MNT 19.6K

-20.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$31.74 MNT 114.0K

2.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$5.62 MNT 20.2K

49.82%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$2.39 MNT 8,575

17.57%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.87 MNT 3,140

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.57 MNT 2,065

-19.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.35 MNT 8,427

10.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$3.41 MNT 12.3K

6.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.44 MNT 5,184

18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.02 MNT 3,653

42.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.06 MNT 7,389

-24.27%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$2.16 MNT 7,750

-2.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$12.46 MNT 44.8K

56.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.87 MNT 17.5K

-30.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$7.44 MNT 26.7K

49.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$3.21 MNT 11.5K

-11.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.39 MNT 8,592

-32.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$3.84 MNT 13.8K

-42.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$3.07 MNT 11.0K

-29.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.71 MNT 2,567

109.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$1.05 MNT 3,772

26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.71 MNT 6,146

-37.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.73 MNT 2,626

-30.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$1.67 MNT 5,985

162.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$10.29 MNT 37.0K

82.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.43 MNT 5,126

21.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$1.80 MNT 6,455

54.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$0.55 MNT 1,967

449.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.54 MNT 1,950

96.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$6.48 MNT 23.3K

-42.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.07 MNT 3,852

33.64%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$27.3K MNT 98.2M

-3.61%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$35.4K MNT 127.4M

-26.08%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$70.6 MNT 253.8K

36.85%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$7.68 MNT 27.6K

48.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$13.82 MNT 49.7K

23.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$4.24 MNT 15.2K

80.42%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$831 MNT 3.0M

-33.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$8,568 MNT 30.8M

31.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$83.5 MNT 299.8K

-24.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$45.49 MNT 163.5K

-37.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$103 MNT 371.8K

-6.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$185 MNT 665.6K

-52.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.32

-46.03%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Darkhan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Darkhan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Darkhan

$238 37% 11.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Darkhan

$92 14.3% 26.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Darkhan

$188 29.2% 50.6% $63

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Darkhan

$114 17.7% 4.8% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Darkhan

$8.5 * 1.3% 87.5% $60

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Darkhan

$3.3 * 0.5% 91.7% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $32.00 in Darkhan. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $238, with Darkhan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇳 Darkhan

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

16:30 4:30 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

74,738

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Darkhan 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Darkhan

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 Darkhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Darkhan wins on cost – living expenses run 82% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Darkhan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,785 in Phuket and $983 in Darkhan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $831 in Darkhan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Darkhan – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $655 in Darkhan versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Darkhan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Darkhan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Darkhan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $655 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Darkhan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Darkhan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Darkhan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.