Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Malatya

For one person, living is cheaper in Malatya: $687 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Malatya
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Malatya Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Malatya

🇹🇷 Turkey

$687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Malatya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $687 in Malatya.

Phuket $1,294
Malatya $687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,058 in Malatya.

Phuket $2,204
Malatya $1,058

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,429 in Malatya.

Phuket $3,115
Malatya $1,429

Living in Phuket is roughly 88% more expensive than in Malatya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Malatya 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$4.74 ₺237

-7.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$29.59 ₺1,480

9.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$7.27 ₺364

19.67%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$1.56 ₺78.1

74.36%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.93 ₺46.35

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.32 ₺15.81

56.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.21 ₺111

14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.51 ₺176

3.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$0.79 ₺39.47

120.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$0.76 ₺38.20

90.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.68 ₺134

-44.03%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.73 ₺86.4

25.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$8.15 ₺408

134.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$2.28 ₺114

49.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$15.99 ₺800

-31.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.61 ₺80.6

82.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.56 ₺78.2

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$0.79 ₺39.36

177.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$0.74 ₺37.04

186.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$0.39 ₺19.69

274.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$0.37 ₺18.62

270.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.51 ₺25.72

111.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.48 ₺23.88

14.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$1.94 ₺97.1

128.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$11.94 ₺597

52.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.84 ₺92.2

-3.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.14 ₺107

34.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.73 ₺36.73

106.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.69 ₺34.50

13.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.33 ₺66.4

12.03%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$40.2K ₺2.0M

-33.12%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$40.5K ₺2.0M

-34.97%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$30.18 ₺1,510

224.09%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$10.13 ₺507

11.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$14.05 ₺703

22.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$35.41 ₺1,771

92.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.23 ₺262

42.07%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$15.02 ₺751

310.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$71.1 ₺3,558

-60.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$50.1 ₺2,505

91.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$29.91 ₺1,496

190.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$332 ₺16.6K

117.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$217 ₺10.9K

134.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$466 ₺23.3K

318.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$326 ₺16.3K

328.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$1,105 ₺55.3K

-55.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-87.05%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Malatya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Malatya

$217 31.7% 57.3% $291

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Malatya

$188 27.4% 29.4% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Malatya

$54 7.9% 56.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Malatya

$75 10.9% 39.1% $48

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Malatya

$102 14.8% 15.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Malatya

$46 6.7% 44.9% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Malatya

$4.2 * 0.6% 93.7% $62

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 $721 in Phuket and $332 in Malatya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malatya pays about 2.2 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 $30 in Malatya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $188 per month, with Malatya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇷 Malatya

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

01:08 1:08 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

781,305

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 50.02 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.31 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Malatya 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Malatya

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 Malatya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $687 in Malatya, so Malatya is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 56% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $332 in Malatya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Malatya – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $687 in Malatya – Malatya is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $687 in Malatya versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Malatya but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Malatya 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 Malatya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.