Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Moscow

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,922 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
92

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
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Moscow Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Moscow

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,922 in Moscow, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Moscow $1,922

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,941 in Moscow, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Moscow $2,941

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,960 in Moscow, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Moscow $3,960

Phuket is about 34% cheaper than Moscow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Moscow is 41% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.50 ₽1,008

-64.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$61.2 ₽4,939

-47.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.65 ₽617

15.16%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.84 ₽309

-26.30%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.74 ₽140

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.85 ₽68.8

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$4.83 ₽390

-47.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.17 ₽417

-28.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.32 ₽107

25.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.04 ₽84.0

40.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.77 ₽143

-15.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.02 ₽163

3.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$15.08 ₽1,216

26.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.86 ₽553

-51.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.29 ₽1,233

-28.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.14 ₽173

36.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.83 ₽148

-7.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.03 ₽164

10.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.14 ₽334

-49.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.94 ₽76.0

60.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.77 ₽62.0

79.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.69 ₽137

-36.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.01 ₽81.3

-48.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.71 ₽299

13.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.23 ₽986

53.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.26 ₽102

44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.73 ₽220

4.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.96 ₽77.4

51.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$43.33 ₽3,494

30.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.68 ₽296

-17.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.84 ₽67.6

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$12.33 ₽994

-70.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.96 ₽77.4

53.13%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$45.4K ₽3.7M

-40.99%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$41.2K ₽3.3M

-35.21%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$199 ₽16.0K

-51.54%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.04 ₽729

24.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$10.05 ₽810

67.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$44.51 ₽3,589

51.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$47.40 ₽3,823

-77.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.63 ₽777

-22.12%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$898 ₽72.4K

-47.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$29.3K ₽2.4M

-61.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$117 ₽9,411

-46.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$69.4 ₽5,595

-59.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$153 ₽12.3K

-38.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$188 ₽15.1K

-54.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,533 ₽123.6K

-53.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$860 ₽69.4K

-42.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$3,127 ₽252.2K

-38.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,552 ₽125.1K

-7.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$10.5K ₽845.5K

-60.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$4,981 ₽401.7K

-38.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,798 ₽145.0K

-72.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

19.58

-71.55%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Moscow: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Moscow

$860 44.7% 75.2% $369

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Moscow

$274 14.3% 3% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Moscow

$218 11.3% 75.1% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Moscow

$237 12.3% 94.5% $115

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Moscow

$214 11.1% 75.7% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Moscow

$64 3.3% 22.4% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Moscow

$55 2.9% 22% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,533 in Moscow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Moscow are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $61 in Moscow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $274 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Moscow

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

12,700,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Moscow 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Moscow

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 Moscow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moscow costs about 50% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,883 in Moscow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,533 in Moscow.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Moscow. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $898 in Moscow. 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 Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Moscow at $1,922. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Moscow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $1,922 in Moscow. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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