Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dushanbe

For one person, living is cheaper in Dushanbe: $931 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Dushanbe
Learn more

Dushanbe Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Dushanbe

🇹🇯 Tajikistan

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dushanbe

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Phuket vs $931 in Dushanbe, rent included.

Phuket $1,190
Dushanbe $931

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Phuket vs $1,397 in Dushanbe, rent included.

Phuket $2,006
Dushanbe $1,397

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Phuket vs $1,864 in Dushanbe, rent included.

Phuket $2,822
Dushanbe $1,864

Phuket costs about 28% more than Dushanbe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Dushanbe are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Dushanbe 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$4.94 TJS 45.63

-11.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$20.57 TJS 190

57.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$5.39 TJS 49.84

56.22%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$1.76 TJS 16.22

59.66%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.63 TJS 5.85

38.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.36 TJS 3.35

27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.18 TJS 10.87

119.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$2.38 TJS 21.97

52.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.11 TJS 10.28

54.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.61 TJS 5.62

137.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.41 TJS 22.30

-35.27%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$1.84 TJS 17.04

14.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$11.26 TJS 104

73.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.24 TJS 39.21

-19.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$11.47 TJS 106

-2.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$1.83 TJS 16.91

54.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.91 TJS 26.85

-44.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$2.65 TJS 24.44

-16.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$1.24 TJS 11.41

73.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.64 TJS 5.89

132.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.43 TJS 4.00

209.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.30 TJS 11.98

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.66 TJS 6.12

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$3.76 TJS 34.70

16.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$11.37 TJS 105

65.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.53 TJS 14.10

13.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.07 TJS 19.09

34.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$0.28 TJS 2.61

675.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$32.29 TJS 298

-31.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$1.07 TJS 9.84

182.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.32 TJS 2.91

231.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$6.66 TJS 61.5

-44.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.18 TJS 10.86

21.19%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$16.4K TJS 151.8K

60.30%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$24.0K TJS 221.7K

9.18%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$68.9 TJS 637

40.23%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$10.01 TJS 92.5

13.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$17.40 TJS 161

-1.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$45.26 TJS 418

16.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$14.35 TJS 133

-22.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$5.32 TJS 49.13

43.80%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$84.6 TJS 782

555.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$5,743 TJS 53.1K

96.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$24.89 TJS 230

154.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$53.1 TJS 491

-46.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$77.1 TJS 712

25.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$55.9 TJS 516

58.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$636 TJS 5,871

15.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$349 TJS 3,228

31.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$876 TJS 8,092

139.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$557 TJS 5,149

112.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$1,290 TJS 11.9K

170.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$706 TJS 6,525

252.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$445 TJS 4,111

12.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

23.17

-75.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dushanbe: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Dushanbe

$349 37.1% 23.7% $109

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Dushanbe

$217 23.1% 18.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Dushanbe

$96 10.2% 23% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Dushanbe

$95 10.1% 23.9% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Dushanbe

$91 9.7% 23.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Dushanbe

$56 5.9% 17.9% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Dushanbe

$36 3.8% 8.1% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $735 in Phuket versus $636 in Dushanbe. 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 13% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $21.00 in Dushanbe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $217 – making Dushanbe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇯 Dushanbe

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

14:41 2:41 PM

2 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

679,400 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tajikistani Somoni TJS ЅМ

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 TJS = 10.83 USD

100 TJS = 9.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TJS, 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 = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Tajikistani Somoni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.24 TJS (1 TJS = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.35 TJS (100 TJS = 9.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Dushanbe 4,520 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dushanbe

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 Dushanbe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Phuket and $1,396 in Dushanbe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dushanbe, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $555 per month in Phuket and $84.6 in Dushanbe. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dushanbe, where all-in costs run around $931, than in Phuket at $1,190. In Dushanbe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dushanbe – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dushanbe. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.