Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Karaj

For one person, living is cheaper in Karaj: $823 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Karaj
Learn more

Karaj Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Karaj

🇮🇷 Iran

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Karaj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $823 in Karaj.

Phuket $1,278
Karaj $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,058 in Karaj.

Phuket $2,216
Karaj $1,058

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,293 in Karaj.

Phuket $3,154
Karaj $1,293

Living in Phuket is roughly 55% more expensive than in Karaj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Karaj 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.54 $3.54

26.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$16.19 $16.19

100.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.97 $3.97

121.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.06 $1.06

166.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.43 $0.43

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.65 $1.65

-70.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.70 $0.70

137.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.52 $0.52

180.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.07 $2.07

-27.54%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.03 $1.03

102.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.48 $4.48

325.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.33 $3.33

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.43 $10.43

4.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$0.89 $0.89

229.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.70 $1.70

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.80 $0.80

181.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.49 $0.49

324.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.46 $0.46

228.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.47 $0.47

193.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.54 $0.54

98.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.21 $0.21

147.62%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.83 $0.83

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.48 $2.48

69.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.20 $0.20

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$13.11 $13.11

332.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.29 $0.29

941.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.31 $0.31

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.64 $2.64

39.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.08 $0.08

1737.50%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$49.5K $49.5K

-45.85%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$45.6K $45.6K

-41.49%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$13.24 $13.24

627.72%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$1.54 $1.54

631.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$3.81 $3.81

342.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$23.04 $23.04

191.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.08 $10.08

6.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.06 $1.06

607.55%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$108 $108

342.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$839 $839

1243.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$25.32 $25.32

146.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$27.83 $27.83

2.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$97.8 $97.8

-3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$73.3 $73.3

17.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$298 $298

140.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$488 $488

0.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$798 $798

141.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$476 $476

200.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,274 $1,274

227.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$527 $527

477.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$239 $239

109.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-75.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karaj: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Karaj

$488 59.3% 0.6% $3.1

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Karaj

$113 13.8% 57.5% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Karaj

$19 2.3% 85.1% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Karaj

$101 12.3% 17.2% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Karaj

$61 7.5% 49.6% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Karaj

$25 3.1% 69.4% $57

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Karaj

$16 1.9% 77.6% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $298 in Karaj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Karaj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $113 per month, with Karaj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇷 Karaj

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

3 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,712,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Karaj 5,710 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Karaj

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 Karaj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $823 in Karaj, so Karaj is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $298 in Karaj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 135% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Karaj – a meal for two runs $16 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $823 in Karaj versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Karaj but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Karaj 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 Karaj are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Karaj gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.