Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kalkan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalkan: $909 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Kalkan
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Kalkan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kalkan

🇹🇷 Turkey

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kalkan

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $909 in Kalkan, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kalkan $909

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,457 in Kalkan, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kalkan $1,457

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,006 in Kalkan, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kalkan $2,006

Phuket costs about 41% more than Kalkan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Kalkan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Kalkan 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.91 ₺294

-24.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$23.99 ₺1,196

35.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.98 ₺398

10.40%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.12 ₺156

-9.29%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.15 ₺57.1

-24.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.37 ₺18.63

32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.10 ₺154

-17.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.23 ₺161

13.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.94 ₺46.88

76.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.07 ₺53.2

36.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.19 ₺109

-31.51%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.85 ₺92.1

12.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.94 ₺446

113.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.20 ₺160

3.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$20.99 ₺1,046

-48.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.91 ₺95.0

53.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.92 ₺95.9

-11.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.02 ₺50.8

120.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.11 ₺55.6

87.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.57 ₺28.27

164.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.48 ₺24.02

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.77 ₺38.35

38.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.69 ₺34.54

-24.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.17 ₺108

93.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.15 ₺406

130.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.02 ₺101

-9.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.77 ₺138

2.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.74 ₺37.10

95.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.58 ₺78.7

91.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.79 ₺39.46

29.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.98 ₺497

-63.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.31 ₺65.2

12.21%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$40.0K ₺2.0M

-33.01%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$37.4K ₺1.9M

-28.71%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$41.01 ₺2,044

134.94%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.16 ₺407

37.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$11.86 ₺591

42.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$53.5 ₺2,666

25.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.39 ₺318

17.37%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$298 ₺14.8K

59.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,452 ₺321.5K

74.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$54.3 ₺2,706

14.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$50.9 ₺2,534

-44.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$91.3 ₺4,551

3.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$85.0 ₺4,237

0.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$384 ₺19.1K

86.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$291 ₺14.5K

68.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$789 ₺39.3K

144.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$608 ₺30.3K

135.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,474 ₺73.5K

183.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$926 ₺46.1K

228.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

49.67

-88.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kalkan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kalkan

$291 32% 40.7% $200

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kalkan

$219 24.1% 17.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kalkan

$61 6.7% 51% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kalkan

$127 13.9% 3.9% $4.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kalkan

$137 15% 12.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kalkan

$66 7.3% 19.4% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kalkan

$8.5 * 0.9% 87.9% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $384 in Kalkan. 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 in Phuket versus $24 in Kalkan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $219 – making Kalkan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇷 Kalkan

🕒 Local time

05:54 5:54 AM

01:54 1:54 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kalkan 7,610 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kalkan

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 Kalkan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $909 in Kalkan – Kalkan comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,364 in Kalkan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kalkan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $384 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $24 in Kalkan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kalkan, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Kalkan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kalkan – 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.