Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Karabuk Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Karabuk

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,006 in Karabuk.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,517 in Karabuk.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $2,028 in Karabuk.

Living in Phuket is roughly 22% more expensive than Karabuk, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Karabuk 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$7.03 ₺317

-34.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$21.97 ₺992

113.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$8.43 ₺380

4.86%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.71 ₺122

10.70%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$1.24 ₺56.0

-40.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.74 ₺33.33

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$2.61 ₺118

-6.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.27 ₺103

59.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$0.74 ₺33.22

205.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.37 ₺16.50

397.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$2.09 ₺94.3

7.18%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$3.31 ₺149

-29.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$7.40 ₺334

165.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$6.48 ₺293

-43.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$12.54 ₺566

4.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$0.99 ₺44.72

242.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.51 ₺68.0

8.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$0.75 ₺33.66

221.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.00 ₺45.04

103.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.77 ₺34.97

102.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.67 ₺30.27

123.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.54 ₺24.15

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.37 ₺16.62

32.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$2.12 ₺95.9

109.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$5.60 ₺253

237.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$2.00 ₺90.3

-11.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.59 ₺117

6.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.67 ₺30.18

108.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$31.01 ₺1,400

-62.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$0.73 ₺32.98

327.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.60 ₺27.11

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$7.73 ₺349

82.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.22 ₺55.1

10.66%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$35.7K ₺1.6M

-23.85%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$38.8K ₺1.8M

-15.16%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$88.0 ₺3,972

42.06%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$6.42 ₺290

111.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$12.78 ₺577

44.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$42.78 ₺1,931

43.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$7.57 ₺342

122.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$4.96 ₺224

85.28%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$309 ₺14.0K

125.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$8,837 ₺398.9K

76.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$25.47 ₺1,150

126.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$35.43 ₺1,599

-0.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$50.7 ₺2,289

123.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$51.1 ₺2,307

68.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$506 ₺22.9K

21.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$388 ₺17.5K

15.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$893 ₺40.3K

129.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$711 ₺32.1K

109.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$1,357 ₺61.3K

178.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$957 ₺43.2K

176.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$1,344 ₺60.7K

-61.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

-86.67%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Karabuk: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $506 in Karabuk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karabuk pays 157% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Karabuk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $183 per month, with Karabuk 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 Karabuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karabuk wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Karabuk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Karabuk earns 157% less. 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: $616 in Phuket versus $506 in Karabuk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Karabuk – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,006 in Karabuk versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Karabuk but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Karabuk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Karabuk delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,006 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Karabuk hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Karabuk 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 Karabuk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.