Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Karabuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Karabuk: $656 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Karabuk
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Karabuk Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Karabuk

🇹🇷 Turkey

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Karabuk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $656 in Karabuk.

Phuket $1,278
Karabuk $656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,031 in Karabuk.

Phuket $2,216
Karabuk $1,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,405 in Karabuk.

Phuket $3,154
Karabuk $1,405

Living in Phuket is roughly 95% more expensive than in Karabuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Karabuk 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.85 ₺391

-43.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$23.97 ₺1,194

35.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.96 ₺397

10.68%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.45 ₺172

-17.97%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.08 ₺53.8

-19.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.31 ₺15.47

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.59 ₺79.1

61.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.75 ₺137

33.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.85 ₺42.23

95.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.31 ₺15.50

370.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.59 ₺129

-42.08%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.60 ₺129

-19.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$6.00 ₺299

217.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.08 ₺203

-19.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.97 ₺497

9.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.44 ₺71.6

103.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.69 ₺84.3

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.76 ₺37.93

196.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.78 ₺39.08

166.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.50 ₺24.71

202.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.43 ₺21.25

220.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.38 ₺19.13

181.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.31 ₺15.57

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.77 ₺88.2

137.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.01 ₺249

275.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.57 ₺78.1

15.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.06 ₺103

37.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.62 ₺31.02

133.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.58 ₺28.81

420.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.86 ₺42.83

18.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.31 ₺65.5

12.21%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$41.2K ₺2.1M

-35.08%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$38.4K ₺1.9M

-30.53%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$76.9 ₺3,832

25.29%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.14 ₺256

119.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$10.19 ₺508

65.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$17.04 ₺849

294.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.01 ₺300

78.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.98 ₺198

88.44%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$450 ₺22.4K

5.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,045 ₺301.3K

86.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$20.44 ₺1,019

205.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$28.20 ₺1,405

0.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$40.49 ₺2,018

132.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$40.76 ₺2,031

110.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$247 ₺12.3K

189.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$172 ₺8,557

185.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$450 ₺22.4K

328.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$331 ₺16.5K

332.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,632 ₺81.3K

155.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$592 ₺29.5K

414.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,215 ₺60.6K

-58.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-86.41%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karabuk: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Karabuk

$172 26.2% 65% $319

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Karabuk

$155 23.5% 42% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Karabuk

$92 14.1% 25.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Karabuk

$58 8.9% 52% $63

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Karabuk

$147 22.4% 20.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Karabuk

$25 3.8% 69.6% $57

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Karabuk

$7.4 * 1.1% 89.6% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $247 in Karabuk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karabuk pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $24 in Karabuk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $155 per month, with Karabuk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇷 Karabuk

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

00:50 12:50 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

123,309

💱 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 Karabuk 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Karabuk

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 Karabuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karabuk wins on cost – living expenses run 49% 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, salaries run 59% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $247 in Karabuk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $656 in Karabuk – Karabuk is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $656 in Karabuk versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 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 cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Karabuk are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.