Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Iskenderun

For one person, living is cheaper in Iskenderun: $965 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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 Iskenderun
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Iskenderun Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Iskenderun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Iskenderun

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $965 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Iskenderun $965

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,450 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Iskenderun $1,450

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,935 in Iskenderun, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Iskenderun $1,935

Phuket costs about 34% more than Iskenderun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Iskenderun are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Iskenderun 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$6.01 ₺301

-26.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$29.58 ₺1,480

9.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$6.11 ₺306

42.39%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$3.08 ₺154

-11.69%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.11 ₺55.7

-16.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.27 ₺13.51

85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.39 ₺119

5.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.63 ₺132

38.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.03 ₺51.5

68.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.78 ₺39.26

85.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.67 ₺83.5

-10.18%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.85 ₺92.7

17.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$7.36 ₺368

159.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.92 ₺196

-13.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$17.71 ₺886

-38.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$1.62 ₺80.8

81.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.84 ₺92.1

-8.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$0.85 ₺42.55

157.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.07 ₺53.5

98.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$0.49 ₺24.53

197.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$0.37 ₺18.65

270.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.84 ₺42.07

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.61 ₺30.42

-9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.11 ₺106

109.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$9.93 ₺497

83.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$2.32 ₺116

-23.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.20 ₺160

-10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.66 ₺32.77

119.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.98 ₺49.27

54.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.92 ₺46.09

-15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$10.06 ₺503

-61.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.25 ₺62.4

19.20%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$40.5K ₺2.0M

-33.60%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$41.4K ₺2.1M

-36.41%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$88.3 ₺4,417

10.76%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$9.59 ₺480

17.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$10.35 ₺518

66.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$47.34 ₺2,368

44.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$6.10 ₺305

21.80%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$443 ₺22.2K

19.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$7,098 ₺355.1K

164.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$53.4 ₺2,672

15.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$28.94 ₺1,447

-2.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$113 ₺5,642

-14.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$108 ₺5,411

-19.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$428 ₺21.4K

68.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$321 ₺16.1K

58.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$704 ₺35.2K

177.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$508 ₺25.4K

175.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$1,128 ₺56.4K

271.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$950 ₺47.5K

247.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$1,122 ₺56.1K

-56.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-84.09%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Iskenderun: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Iskenderun

$321 33.3% 36.9% $188

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Iskenderun

$206 21.3% 22.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Iskenderun

$108 11.2% 14.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Iskenderun

$136 14.1% 11.2% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Iskenderun

$126 13.1% 5.5% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Iskenderun

$60 6.2% 28.4% $24

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Iskenderun

$8.2 * 0.9% 87.6% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $428 in Iskenderun. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Iskenderun are about 2.3 times higher, 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 $30 in Iskenderun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $206 – making Iskenderun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇷 Iskenderun

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

13:11 1:11 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

246,639

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.02 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.21 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Iskenderun 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Iskenderun

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 Iskenderun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,448 in Iskenderun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iskenderun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $428 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $965 in Iskenderun. That makes Iskenderun about 25% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $443 in Iskenderun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Iskenderun – 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.