Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gaziantep

For one person, living is cheaper in Gaziantep: $701 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Gaziantep, Turkey
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Gaziantep
🇹🇷 Turkey
$701
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gaziantep

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $701 in Gaziantep.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Gaziantep $701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,152 in Gaziantep.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Gaziantep $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,604 in Gaziantep.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Gaziantep $1,604

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Gaziantep 49% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Gaziantep
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$4.58 ₺229
-2.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$30.17 ₺1,507
7.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$7.53 ₺376
17.00%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$3.18 ₺159
-11.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.42
$1.04 ₺52.0
-16.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.66
$0.27 ₺13.56
81.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$2.39 ₺119
7.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.68 ₺134
37.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Gaziantep
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$0.90 ₺45.21
84.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.32
$0.86 ₺42.96
69.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.76 ₺87.7
-14.77%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.81 ₺90.5
15.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$8.94 ₺447
113.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$3.28 ₺164
0.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$17.73 ₺886
-38.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$1.68 ₺84.1
74.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$1.55 ₺77.6
9.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$0.84 ₺41.87
167.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$0.95 ₺47.46
118.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.50 ₺24.83
202.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.54
$0.38 ₺18.91
263.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.97
$0.75 ₺37.65
42.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.59 ₺29.35
-11.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$2.12 ₺106
98.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$5.79 ₺289
224.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$2.16 ₺108
-15.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.97 ₺98.2
44.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Gaziantep
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.00
$0.63 ₺31.23
130.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$0.75 ₺37.42
302.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.34
$0.52 ₺26.23
96.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$10.19 ₺509
-63.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.78
$1.31 ₺65.3
12.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.7K
$41.4K ₺2.1M
-35.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.8K
$38.8K ₺1.9M
-31.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Gaziantep
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,252
$30.54 ₺1,526
215.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$9.25 ₺462
21.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$11.20 ₺560
50.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Gaziantep
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,269
$56.7 ₺2,834
18.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$5.18 ₺259
44.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Gaziantep
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$436 ₺21.8K
9.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.1K
$6,922 ₺345.8K
62.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Gaziantep
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,105
$15.35 ₺767
306.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$7.98 ₺399
256.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,182
$49.74 ₺2,485
89.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,896
$30.47 ₺1,522
181.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Gaziantep
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$319 ₺15.9K
124.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$218 ₺10.9K
125.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$723 ₺36.1K
166.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$459 ₺23.0K
211.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$931 ₺46.5K
348.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$592 ₺29.6K
414.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Gaziantep
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$1,279 ₺63.9K
-60.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
41.5
-86.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gaziantep: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Gaziantep
$218 55.7% $273
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Gaziantep
$193 27.6% $73
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Gaziantep
$51 59% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Gaziantep
$47 61.8% $75
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Gaziantep
$120 1.4% $1.7
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Gaziantep
$67 18.4% $15
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Gaziantep
$5.9 * 91.7% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $319 in Gaziantep. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gaziantep pays about 2.5 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 $30 in Gaziantep for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $193 per month, with Gaziantep cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇹🇷 Gaziantep
🕒 Local time
08:43 8:43 AM
04:43 4:43 AM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
2,164,134
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 49.96 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.78 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Gaziantep 6,920 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Gaziantep

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 Gaziantep: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Phuket and in Gaziantep?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $701 in Gaziantep, so Gaziantep is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 61% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Phuket and in Gaziantep?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $319 in Gaziantep. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Phuket and Gaziantep?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $436 in Gaziantep. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Gaziantep – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $701 in Gaziantep versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Gaziantep but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Gaziantep the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Phuket and Gaziantep?
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.

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