Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Karlovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovo: $786 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Karlovo
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Karlovo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Karlovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Karlovo

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $786 in Karlovo, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Karlovo $786

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,272 in Karlovo, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Karlovo $1,272

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,758 in Karlovo, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Karlovo $1,758

Phuket costs about 65% more than Karlovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Karlovo are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Karlovo 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$7.21 BGN 12.55

-39.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,083

$34.76 BGN 60.5

-7.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$8.49 BGN 14.76

2.47%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.3

$1.42 BGN 2.47

91.55%

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

$0.93 ฿31.20

$1.10 BGN 1.92

-15.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.75

$0.74 BGN 1.30

-32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.9

$1.95 BGN 3.38

29.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.70 BGN 2.96

113.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.15 BGN 2.01

51.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.64

$0.82 BGN 1.43

76.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.86 BGN 3.23

-19.35%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.8

$3.28 BGN 5.71

-33.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿640

$10.26 BGN 17.85

86.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$8.70 BGN 15.13

-60.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿365

$5.62 BGN 9.79

93.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.6

$1.23 BGN 2.14

139.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.7

$1.96 BGN 3.41

-13.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.6

$2.04 BGN 3.55

7.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.2

$2.13 BGN 3.71

-0.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$0.48 BGN 0.84

204.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.87

$0.87 BGN 1.52

57.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.07

$1.01 BGN 1.75

6.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.29

$0.78 BGN 1.35

-29.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$3.27 BGN 5.68

35.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿612

$7.00 BGN 12.18

160.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.4

$1.04 BGN 1.81

70.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.6

$1.81 BGN 3.15

59.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.53

$1.12 BGN 1.95

29.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,840

$25.72 BGN 44.75

113.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.7

$1.16 BGN 2.01

30.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.01

$0.72 BGN 1.25

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$11.85 BGN 20.62

-67.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.87

$1.42 BGN 2.47

4.93%

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

$26.9K ฿901.3K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-10.16%

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

$26.3K ฿883.4K

$23.8K BGN 41.4K

10.76%

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

$97.8 ฿3,280

$101 BGN 176

-3.45%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$14.18 BGN 24.67

-20.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿576

$11.97 BGN 20.83

43.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,291

$31.34 BGN 54.5

118.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿366

$16.96 BGN 29.51

-35.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿249

$5.83 BGN 10.15

27.44%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$228 BGN 396

132.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿629.7K

$5,924 BGN 10.3K

217.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,068

$29.09 BGN 50.6

112.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿947

$11.58 BGN 20.14

143.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,219

$56.3 BGN 97.9

70.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,911

$45.12 BGN 78.5

92.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$330 BGN 574

118.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$188 BGN 327

170.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.4K

$540 BGN 940

261.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.8K

$404 BGN 703

245.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.6K

$1,314 BGN 2,286

219.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.6K

$1,083 BGN 1,884

204.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$465 BGN 809

5.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.25

71.38%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Karlovo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Karlovo

$188 23.9% 63% $321

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Karlovo

$208 26.4% 22.2% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Karlovo

$127 16.2% 0.9% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Karlovo

$64 8.1% 47.9% $59

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Karlovo

$121 15.4% 0.9% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Karlovo

$43 5.5% 48.3% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Karlovo

$35 4.5% 47.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $330 in Karlovo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $35 in Karlovo. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $208 in Karlovo – so Karlovo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇬 Karlovo

🕒 Local time

22:43 10:43 PM

17:43 5:43 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

23,919

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Karlovo 8,070 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Karlovo

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 Karlovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 65%, 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 $1,179 in Karlovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $330 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Karlovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $228 in Karlovo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Karlovo, where all-in costs run around $786, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Karlovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karlovo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Karlovo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.