Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mandalgovi

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandalgovi: $642 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Mandalgovi
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Mandalgovi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Mandalgovi

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mandalgovi

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $642 in Mandalgovi, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Mandalgovi $642

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,057 in Mandalgovi, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Mandalgovi $1,057

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,472 in Mandalgovi, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Mandalgovi $1,472

Phuket costs about 99% more than Mandalgovi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Mandalgovi are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Mandalgovi 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.44 MNT 19.6K

-17.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$32.52 MNT 117.0K

-0.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.54 MNT 19.9K

59.03%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.38 MNT 8,572

18.91%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.90 MNT 3,228

-3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.60 MNT 2,176

-18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.34 MNT 8,419

9.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.28 MNT 11.8K

12.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.47 MNT 5,294

12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.03 MNT 3,700

41.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.07 MNT 7,451

-27.54%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.14 MNT 7,716

-2.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.52 MNT 45.1K

52.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.78 MNT 17.2K

-30.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.81 MNT 24.5K

60.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$3.15 MNT 11.3K

-6.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.43 MNT 8,746

-30.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.70 MNT 13.3K

-39.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

-33.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.75 MNT 2,697

101.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.09 MNT 3,917

26.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.71 MNT 6,170

-37.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.73 MNT 2,610

-28.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.69 MNT 6,092

148.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.34 MNT 37.2K

81.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.50 MNT 5,395

21.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.78 MNT 6,419

59.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.51 MNT 1,822

492.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.51 MNT 1,849

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$6.16 MNT 22.2K

-40.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.11 MNT 3,984

32.43%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$26.7K MNT 96.0M

0.39%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$34.6K MNT 124.6M

-22.89%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$70.7 MNT 254.4K

36.28%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.75 MNT 27.9K

45.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$13.46 MNT 48.5K

25.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.19 MNT 15.1K

79.00%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$786 MNT 2.8M

-39.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$8,345 MNT 30.0M

34.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$83.4 MNT 300.0K

-25.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$45.09 MNT 162.3K

-36.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$105 MNT 376.2K

-9.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$189 MNT 679.2K

-54.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.32

-46.03%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mandalgovi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Mandalgovi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Mandalgovi

$236 36.8% 11.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Mandalgovi

$92 14.3% 26.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mandalgovi

$190 29.6% 55.7% $68

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mandalgovi

$113 17.6% 7.1% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Mandalgovi

$8.4 * 1.3% 89.8% $74

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Mandalgovi

$3.1 * 0.5% 95.6% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $33 in Mandalgovi. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $236 in Mandalgovi – so Mandalgovi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇳 Mandalgovi

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

11:08 11:08 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

10,888

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,599 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,006 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.5 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Mandalgovi 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mandalgovi

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 Mandalgovi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $642 in Mandalgovi – Mandalgovi comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $963 in Mandalgovi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $642 in Mandalgovi. That makes Mandalgovi about 50% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $786 in Mandalgovi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mandalgovi, where all-in costs run around $642, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Mandalgovi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $642 in Mandalgovi to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.