Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mersin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersin: $1,020 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Mersin
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Mersin Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Mersin

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mersin

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,020 in Mersin, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Mersin $1,020

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,542 in Mersin, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Mersin $1,542

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,064 in Mersin, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Mersin $2,064

Phuket costs about 19% more than Mersin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mersin are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Mersin 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$7.59 ₺376

-42.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$29.92 ₺1,481

7.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.55 ₺374

16.03%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.14 ₺155

-9.87%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.29 ₺64.0

-30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.25 ₺12.26

88.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.40 ₺119

6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.78 ₺138

37.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.03 ₺50.8

67.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.96 ₺47.45

53.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.76 ₺87.3

-14.20%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.10 ₺104

3.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.35 ₺463

110.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.89 ₺193

-14.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$17.94 ₺888

-37.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.61 ₺79.6

77.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.86 ₺92.1

-8.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$0.93 ₺45.83

135.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.27 ₺62.8

61.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.46 ₺22.83

215.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.38 ₺18.63

263.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.85 ₺41.99

25.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.61 ₺30.43

-16.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.10 ₺104

102.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.15 ₺503

83.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.35 ₺116

-24.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.29 ₺163

-13.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.68 ₺33.67

232.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$20.35 ₺1,008

8.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.03 ₺50.8

192.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.52 ₺25.70

103.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$9.92 ₺491

-61.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.25 ₺61.9

16.00%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$42.6K ₺2.1M

-38.16%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$38.4K ₺1.9M

-29.92%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$92.7 ₺4,592

3.92%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.40 ₺465

17.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$11.01 ₺545

55.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$53.8 ₺2,662

-2.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$15.29 ₺757

-27.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.88 ₺291

32.82%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$435 ₺21.5K

27.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,106 ₺351.8K

62.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$54.9 ₺2,718

16.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$29.00 ₺1,436

-1.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$115 ₺5,704

-17.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$106 ₺5,245

-16.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$415 ₺20.5K

77.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$315 ₺15.6K

46.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$708 ₺35.1K

195.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$499 ₺24.7K

140.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,257 ₺62.2K

177.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$959 ₺47.5K

163.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$818 ₺40.5K

-38.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

41.5

-86.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mersin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Mersin

$315 30.9% 31.9% $148

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Mersin

$217 21.3% 19.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Mersin

$113 11.1% 9.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Mersin

$137 13.5% 10.4% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Mersin

$145 14.2% 19.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Mersin

$66 6.4% 3.3% $2.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Mersin

$27 2.6% 32.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $415 in Mersin. 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 63% higher in Mersin, 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 $30.00 in Mersin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $217 – making Mersin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇷 Mersin

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,773,852

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Mersin 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mersin

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 Mersin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,529 in Mersin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 9% less in Mersin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $435 in Mersin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mersin, where all-in costs run around $1,020, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Mersin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Mersin. 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.