Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Irkutsk Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Irkutsk

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,054 in Irkutsk.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,712 in Irkutsk.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $2,370 in Irkutsk.

Living in Phuket is roughly 19% more expensive than in Irkutsk, driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Irkutsk 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$8.07 ₽630

-43.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,550

$35.12 ₽2,744

31.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$5.61 ₽438

57.58%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$3.05 ₽239

0.33%

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

$0.73 ฿24.36

$1.56 ₽122

-53.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.37

$0.43 ₽33.52

-6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.6

$1.62 ₽127

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$2.49 ₽194

51.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿75.8

$1.38 ₽108

63.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$0.56 ₽43.86

223.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.76 ₽138

27.84%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.4

$2.29 ₽179

-1.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿655

$15.49 ₽1,210

25.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿122

$6.51 ₽509

-43.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿438

$12.63 ₽987

3.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$2.34 ₽183

38.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.47 ₽193

-34.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.0

$3.10 ₽242

-23.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.0

$4.78 ₽374

-57.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.5

$1.02 ₽79.7

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.86 ₽67.3

74.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.85

$2.18 ₽171

-55.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.36

$0.72 ₽56.4

-27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$3.82 ₽298

16.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿615

$8.56 ₽669

114.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.6

$1.23 ₽96.0

51.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.0

$2.28 ₽178

17.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.37

$0.49 ₽38.47

187.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$10.27 ₽802

13.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿104

$1.89 ₽147

64.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.00

$0.33 ₽25.55

215.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$4.59 ₽358

207.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.02

$0.79 ₽61.7

65.82%

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

$27.8K ฿933.8K

$29.6K ₽2.3M

-5.89%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$25.9K ₽2.0M

28.46%

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

$122 ฿4,110

$93.7 ₽7,320

30.67%

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

$13.59 ฿456

$6.76 ₽528

101.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿628

$9.29 ₽726

101.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,031

$39.56 ₽3,091

52.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿570

$14.19 ₽1,108

19.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$5.00 ₽390

81.40%

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

$706 ฿23.7K

$283 ₽22.1K

149.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿530.5K

$6,881 ₽537.6K

129.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,965

$37.49 ₽2,929

56.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,187

$38.59 ₽3,015

-8.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,876

$99.8 ₽7,800

15.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,811

$104 ₽8,146

-19.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$549 ₽42.9K

13.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿14.9K

$335 ₽26.2K

32.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.5K

$1,176 ₽91.9K

73.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.1K

$759 ₽59.3K

96.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿116.9K

$3,032 ₽236.9K

14.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.5K

$1,821 ₽142.3K

41.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$789 ₽61.6K

-36.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

19.29

-72.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Irkutsk: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $549 in Irkutsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Irkutsk pays 58% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $35.00 in Irkutsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $265 per month, with Irkutsk cheaper across the board.

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 Irkutsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Irkutsk wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Irkutsk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Irkutsk. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $626 in Phuket versus $549 in Irkutsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $283 in Irkutsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,054 in Irkutsk versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Irkutsk but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Irkutsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Irkutsk delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,054 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Irkutsk hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Irkutsk are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Irkutsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.