Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gulbene

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,289 in Gulbene, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. The total is higher in Gulbene despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Gulbene
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Gulbene Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Gulbene

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gulbene

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,289 in Gulbene, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Gulbene $1,289

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,973 in Gulbene, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Gulbene $1,973

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,657 in Gulbene, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Gulbene $2,657

Phuket is about 6% cheaper than Gulbene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Gulbene are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Gulbene 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$16.73 €14.88

-73.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$68.5 €60.9

-52.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$9.45 €8.41

-7.30%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.82 €3.40

-25.92%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.59 €1.41

-43.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.20 €1.07

-60.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$5.57 €4.95

-54.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$5.18 €4.61

-26.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.19 €1.06

45.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.50 €1.33

-2.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.54 €2.26

-40.55%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.72 €3.30

-41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.70 €9.52

84.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$8.74 €7.77

-61.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.98 €12.43

-20.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.09 €1.86

36.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.77 €1.57

-3.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.56 €2.27

-14.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.25 €2.89

-36.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.88 €0.79

64.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.95 €0.84

45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.77 €1.57

-39.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.98 €0.87

-47.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.53 €5.81

-34.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.02 €7.14

131.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.01 €1.79

-11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.02 €1.79

41.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.41 €3.03

-11.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.99 €0.88

7.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$17.96 €15.97

-78.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.12 €1.89

-31.60%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$27.3K €24.3K

-3.60%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$29.7K €26.4K

-9.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$368 €328

-73.84%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$19.94 €17.74

-44.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$19.84 €17.65

-13.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.06 €9.83

-29.39%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$674 €599

-17.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$18.4K €16.4K

-37.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$70.2 €62.4

-8.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$51.0 €45.33

-43.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$86.2 €76.7

10.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$136 €121

-35.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$190 €169

287.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$168 €149

175.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$352 €313

495.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$332 €295

261.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$681 €605

412.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$568 €505

344.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.77

16.77%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gulbene: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Gulbene

$168 13% 63.7% $295

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Gulbene

$271 21% 0.7% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Gulbene

$408 31.7% 228% $284

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Gulbene

$155 12% 24.4% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Gulbene

$257 20% 112% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Gulbene

$22 * 1.7% 67.4% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Gulbene

$8.3 * 0.7% 78.9% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $190 in Gulbene. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $69.0 in Gulbene. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $271 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇻 Gulbene

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

01:20 1:20 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

7,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Gulbene 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gulbene

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 Gulbene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $1,289 in Gulbene – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,934 in Gulbene. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $1,289 in Gulbene. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $674 in Gulbene. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Gulbene at $1,289. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gulbene it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $1,289 in Gulbene. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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