Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kocaeli

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Kocaeli: $1,278 and $1,233 a month, rent and utilities included.

Phuket, Thailand
Kocaeli, Turkey
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Kocaeli
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,233
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kocaeli

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,233 in Kocaeli, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Kocaeli $1,233

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,746 in Kocaeli, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Kocaeli $1,746

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,260 in Kocaeli, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Kocaeli $2,260

Phuket costs about 4% more than Kocaeli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Kocaeli are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Kocaeli 9% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Kocaeli
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$8.17 ₺407
-45.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$30.06 ₺1,498
7.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$7.63 ₺380
15.47%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$3.53 ₺176
-19.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$1.12 ₺56.0
-22.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$0.29 ₺14.21
68.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$2.58 ₺128
-0.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.84 ₺141
29.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Kocaeli
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$0.92 ₺45.79
80.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$0.88 ₺43.92
65.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$2.53 ₺126
-40.71%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$2.67 ₺133
-21.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$9.58 ₺478
99.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$3.93 ₺196
-16.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$19.99 ₺996
-45.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$1.70 ₺84.9
72.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$1.95 ₺97.4
-13.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.02 ₺50.6
120.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$1.20 ₺59.9
73.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.50 ₺24.67
202.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$0.43 ₺21.32
220.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$0.74 ₺37.12
44.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$0.65 ₺32.35
-20.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$2.15 ₺107
95.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$8.27 ₺412
127.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$2.16 ₺108
-15.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$2.23 ₺111
27.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Kocaeli
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$0.68 ₺33.79
113.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$72.8 ₺3,630
-22.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.03 ₺51.1
193.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$1.33 ₺66.5
10.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$41.3K ₺2.1M
-35.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$38.5K ₺1.9M
-30.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Kocaeli
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$77.2 ₺3,845
24.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$11.50 ₺573
-2.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$12.74 ₺635
32.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Kocaeli
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$53.3 ₺2,657
26.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$4.11 ₺205
161.07%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$5.06 ₺252
48.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Kocaeli
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$450 ₺22.4K
5.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$6,102 ₺304.1K
84.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Kocaeli
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$48.22 ₺2,403
29.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$53.6 ₺2,669
-46.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$118 ₺5,891
-20.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$99.6 ₺4,965
-13.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Kocaeli
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$778 ₺38.7K
-7.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$471 ₺23.5K
4.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$1,212 ₺60.4K
59.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$564 ₺28.1K
153.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$1,011 ₺50.4K
313.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$810 ₺40.4K
275.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Kocaeli
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$1,182 ₺58.9K
-57.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
41
-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 Kocaeli: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Kocaeli
$471 4.1% $20
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Kocaeli
$222 16.5% $44
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Kocaeli
$101 18.5% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Kocaeli
$144 18% $22
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Kocaeli
$155 27.2% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Kocaeli
$63 22.9% $19
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Kocaeli
$77 * 8.5% $6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $778 in Kocaeli. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kocaeli are about 2.4 times higher, 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 in Phuket versus $30 in Kocaeli. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $222 – making Kocaeli the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇹🇷 Kocaeli
🕒 Local time
23:50 11:50 PM
19:50 7:50 PM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
2,079,072
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 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 = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Kocaeli 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Kocaeli

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 Kocaeli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Kocaeli?
Phuket costs about 4% more than Kocaeli, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Kocaeli?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,850 in Kocaeli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Phuket compared to Kocaeli?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $716 in Phuket and $778 in Kocaeli. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Kocaeli?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,233 in Kocaeli. That’s a gap of about 4%.
How expensive is transport in Phuket compared to Kocaeli?
Public transport costs about 22% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Phuket or in Kocaeli?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,233 in Kocaeli. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Kocaeli?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,233 in Kocaeli to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Phuket compared to Kocaeli?
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.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?