Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gabrovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Gabrovo: $989 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Gabrovo
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Gabrovo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Gabrovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gabrovo

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $989 in Gabrovo, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Gabrovo $989

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,472 in Gabrovo, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Gabrovo $1,472

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,954 in Gabrovo, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Gabrovo $1,954

Phuket costs about 29% more than Gabrovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Gabrovo are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Gabrovo 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.41 BGN 12.97

-39.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$31.82 BGN 55.7

1.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$15.87 BGN 27.77

-44.49%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.54 BGN 2.69

83.77%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.21 BGN 2.12

-28.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.65 BGN 1.13

-24.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.55 BGN 2.71

65.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.54 BGN 4.44

44.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.69 BGN 2.96

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.92 BGN 1.61

58.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-21.87%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.14 BGN 5.49

-33.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.57 BGN 15.00

122.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.73 BGN 13.53

-57.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.72 BGN 20.51

-6.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.55 BGN 2.71

89.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.73 BGN 3.02

-2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.88 BGN 3.29

19.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.19 BGN 3.84

-5.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.05 BGN 1.84

43.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.14 BGN 1.99

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.01 BGN 1.78

5.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.65 BGN 1.15

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.37 BGN 5.90

24.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.63 BGN 15.11

117.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.94 BGN 1.65

93.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.47 BGN 2.57

93.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.82 BGN 1.44

76.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$18.48 BGN 32.34

206.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.33 BGN 2.33

127.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.12 BGN 1.96

-8.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$11.80 BGN 20.64

-68.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.56 BGN 2.73

-5.77%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$36.7K BGN 64.2K

-26.98%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$32.2K BGN 56.3K

-16.99%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$155 BGN 271

-37.69%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.08 BGN 29.90

-34.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$22.04 BGN 38.56

-23.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$23.10 BGN 40.42

191.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.38 BGN 25.17

-25.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.78 BGN 10.12

29.76%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$86.7 BGN 152

448.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$47.27 BGN 82.7

31.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$46.31 BGN 81.0

-38.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$79.0 BGN 138

19.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$109 BGN 191

-21.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$301 BGN 528

137.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$235 BGN 411

109.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$454 BGN 795

323.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$349 BGN 612

309.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,133 BGN 1,983

268.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$952 BGN 1,666

219.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$899 BGN 1,574

-44.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.95

88.81%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gabrovo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Gabrovo

$235 23.8% 52.2% $256

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Gabrovo

$225 22.7% 15.6% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Gabrovo

$194 19.6% 55.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gabrovo

$127 12.8% 4% $4.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gabrovo

$146 14.7% 19.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Gabrovo

$35 3.5% 57.8% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Gabrovo

$29 2.9% 59.3% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $301 in Gabrovo. 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 79% higher in Gabrovo, 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 $32 in Gabrovo. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $225 in Gabrovo – so Gabrovo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇬 Gabrovo

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

01:53 1:53 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

59,611

💱 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 November 1, 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 November 1, 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 Gabrovo 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gabrovo

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 Gabrovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $989 in Gabrovo – Gabrovo comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,483 in Gabrovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gabrovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $301 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Gabrovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Gabrovo, where all-in costs run around $989, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Gabrovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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