Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mugla

For one person, living is cheaper in Mugla: $920 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Mugla
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Mugla Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Mugla

🇹🇷 Turkey

$920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mugla

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $920 in Mugla, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Mugla $920

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,424 in Mugla, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Mugla $1,424

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,928 in Mugla, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Mugla $1,928

Phuket costs about 31% more than Mugla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Mugla are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Mugla 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$6.51 ₺322

-29.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$36.60 ₺1,812

-11.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$7.46 ₺369

14.61%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$4.08 ₺202

-33.33%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.83 ₺90.5

-48.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.51 ₺25.44

-3.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.09 ₺153

-16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.69 ₺183

3.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.02 ₺50.7

70.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.01 ₺49.94

41.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.93 ₺95.4

-20.73%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.51 ₺125

-13.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$9.05 ₺448

111.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$4.26 ₺211

-22.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$19.51 ₺966

-42.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.75 ₺86.9

68.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.84 ₺91.2

-8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$0.97 ₺47.85

137.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.49 ₺73.8

42.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.42 ₺20.58

264.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.33 ₺16.56

312.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.75 ₺36.96

49.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.69 ₺34.38

-20.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.30 ₺114

85.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$9.36 ₺464

94.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.10 ₺104

-17.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.14 ₺106

30.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.26 ₺62.4

76.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.02 ₺50.5

185.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.78 ₺38.38

29.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$7.87 ₺390

-51.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.41 ₺69.7

5.67%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$42.3K ₺2.1M

-36.87%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$39.7K ₺2.0M

-32.76%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$72.5 ₺3,590

37.06%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$11.74 ₺581

-3.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$15.53 ₺769

11.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$6.91 ₺342

9.55%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$698 ₺34.6K

-20.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$17.8K ₺882.5K

-35.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$45.95 ₺2,275

36.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$32.61 ₺1,614

-12.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$90.4 ₺4,477

6.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$78.1 ₺3,864

12.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$411 ₺20.3K

77.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$307 ₺15.2K

50.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$796 ₺39.4K

163.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$514 ₺25.5K

137.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,394 ₺69.0K

148.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$824 ₺40.8K

202.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,527 ₺75.6K

-67.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-85.34%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mugla: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Mugla

$307 33.3% 33.4% $153

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Mugla

$223 24.2% 16.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Mugla

$100 10.9% 22.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Mugla

$111 12.1% 10.4% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Mugla

$156 16.9% 28.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Mugla

$14 * 1.5% 79.5% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Mugla

$9.9 * 1.1% 74.5% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $411 in Mugla. 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 210% higher in Mugla, 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 $37.00 in Mugla. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Phuket vs $223 in Mugla – so Mugla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇷 Mugla

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

82,717

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Mugla 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mugla

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 Mugla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 31% more than Mugla, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,380 in Mugla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,207 in Phuket and $920 in Mugla. That's a gap of about 31%.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $698 in Mugla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mugla, where all-in costs run around $920, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Mugla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mugla costs $920 versus $1,207 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Mugla. 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.