Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dobrich

For one person, living is cheaper in Dobrich: $596 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Dobrich
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Dobrich Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Dobrich

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dobrich

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $596 in Dobrich.

Phuket $1,278
Dobrich $596

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $984 in Dobrich.

Phuket $2,216
Dobrich $984

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,372 in Dobrich.

Phuket $3,154
Dobrich $1,372

Living in Phuket is roughly 114% more expensive than in Dobrich, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Dobrich 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.93 BGN 12.12

-35.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$28.09 BGN 49.16

15.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.53 BGN 20.18

-23.59%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.73 BGN 3.04

63.58%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-2.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.53 BGN 0.92

-7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.96 BGN 3.43

30.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.80 BGN 4.90

31.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.70 BGN 2.97

-2.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.84 BGN 1.47

73.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.09 BGN 3.65

-28.23%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.16 BGN 5.53

-33.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.28 BGN 10.98

203.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.88 BGN 15.54

-62.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.51 BGN 20.14

-5.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.26 BGN 3.96

29.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.97 BGN 3.44

-14.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.12 BGN 3.72

6.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.47 BGN 4.32

-15.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.17 BGN 2.05

29.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.43 BGN 2.50

-3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.94 BGN 1.65

13.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.51 BGN 0.90

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.20 BGN 5.59

31.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.98 BGN 12.22

169.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.93 BGN 1.62

95.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.87 BGN 3.27

51.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.92 BGN 1.61

57.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$22.18 BGN 38.81

155.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.71 BGN 2.99

76.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$0.71 BGN 1.24

43.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$11.90 BGN 20.82

-68.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-3.29%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$29.7K BGN 52.0K

-9.80%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$22.1K BGN 38.7K

20.65%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$51.2 BGN 89.7

88.04%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.48 BGN 25.33

-22.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$11.68 BGN 20.45

44.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$25.38 BGN 44.42

164.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.61 BGN 8.07

62.69%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$232 BGN 406

104.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$15.0K BGN 26.3K

-24.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$58.5 BGN 102

6.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$29.26 BGN 51.2

-2.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$70.6 BGN 124

33.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$51.2 BGN 89.6

67.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,016 BGN 1,778

-50.56%

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 Dobrich: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Dobrich

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Dobrich

$227 38% 14.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Dobrich

$77 13% 37.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dobrich

$94 15.8% 22.6% $28

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dobrich

$132 22.1% 8.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Dobrich

$35 5.8% 57.9% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Dobrich

$31 5.2% 55.9% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

Dobrich pays about 2 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 $28 in Dobrich for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $227 per month, with Dobrich cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇬 Dobrich

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

00:51 12:51 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

89,627

💱 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 = 0.51 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Dobrich 7,840 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dobrich

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 Dobrich: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $596 in Dobrich, so Dobrich is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $596 in Dobrich – Dobrich is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Dobrich runs roughly 61% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $596 in Dobrich versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dobrich but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Dobrich 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 Dobrich are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.