Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kharkiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Kharkiv: $673 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Kharkiv
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Kharkiv Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Kharkiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kharkiv

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Phuket vs $673 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Phuket $1,190
Kharkiv $673

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Phuket vs $1,064 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Phuket $2,006
Kharkiv $1,064

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Phuket vs $1,456 in Kharkiv, rent included.

Phuket $2,822
Kharkiv $1,456

Phuket costs about 77% more than Kharkiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Kharkiv are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Kharkiv 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$6.80 ₴305

-36.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$31.13 ₴1,396

4.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$4.95 ₴222

70.10%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$1.57 ₴70.6

78.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.05 ₴47.09

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.51 ₴23.00

-9.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.97 ₴43.65

167.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$1.70 ₴76.3

114.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.09 ₴48.88

56.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.70 ₴31.47

107.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.19 ₴53.5

31.09%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$1.74 ₴78.0

20.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$8.33 ₴374

134.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.29 ₴192

-20.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$7.08 ₴317

57.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$1.39 ₴62.6

103.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.60 ₴72.0

1.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.66 ₴74.6

33.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$2.15 ₴96.5

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.73 ₴32.75

104.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.55 ₴24.73

141.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.21 ₴54.2

-11.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.65 ₴28.97

-21.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$2.85 ₴128

53.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$4.35 ₴195

331.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$0.85 ₴38.29

104.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$1.18 ₴52.9

135.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$1.38 ₴61.8

118.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.31 ₴14.06

241.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.19 ₴98.2

69.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.83 ₴82.2

-21.86%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$29.5K ₴1.3M

-10.72%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$22.2K ₴996.8K

17.90%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$95.1 ₴4,266

1.64%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$5.98 ₴268

90.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$6.83 ₴306

150.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$22.10 ₴991

138.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$13.61 ₴610

-18.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$4.62 ₴207

65.58%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$280 ₴12.6K

98.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$2,666 ₴119.6K

323.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$56.3 ₴2,527

12.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$42.92 ₴1,925

-33.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$90.2 ₴4,044

7.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$104 ₴4,685

-15.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$243 ₴10.9K

202.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$143 ₴6,431

219.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$505 ₴22.6K

316.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$211 ₴9,470

462.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$1,073 ₴48.1K

225.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$571 ₴25.6K

336.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$528 ₴23.7K

-5.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

17.89

-68.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kharkiv: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Kharkiv

$143 21% 68.7% $315

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Kharkiv

$163 23.8% 39.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Kharkiv

$108 15.8% 13.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Kharkiv

$132 19.4% 6% $7.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Kharkiv

$103 15% 14% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Kharkiv

$31 4.6% 54% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Kharkiv

$3 * 0.4% 92.5% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $735 in Phuket versus $243 in Kharkiv. 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 5% higher in Kharkiv, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $31.00 in Kharkiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $163 – making Kharkiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇦 Kharkiv

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,447,652

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 44.85 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.31 UAH (100 UAH = 1.99 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kharkiv 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kharkiv

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 Kharkiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 77% more than Kharkiv, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Phuket and $1,009 in Kharkiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kharkiv, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $31.00 in Kharkiv. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kharkiv, where all-in costs run around $673, than in Phuket at $1,190. In Kharkiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kharkiv costs $673 versus $1,190 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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