Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nalchik

For one person, living is cheaper in Nalchik: $955 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Nalchik
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Nalchik Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Nalchik

🇷🇺 Russia

$955

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nalchik

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $955 in Nalchik, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Nalchik $955

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,474 in Nalchik, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Nalchik $1,474

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,994 in Nalchik, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Nalchik $1,994

Phuket costs about 27% more than Nalchik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Nalchik are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Nalchik 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$10.62 ₽854

-58.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,089

$43.13 ₽3,469

-25.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$8.22 ₽661

6.57%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.90 ₽233

-2.41%

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

$0.90 ฿30.43

$1.17 ₽94.5

-23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$0.44 ₽35.26

6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$1.22 ₽98.3

109.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$1.46 ₽118

162.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$1.72 ₽138

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.58

$0.38 ₽30.96

286.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$0.91 ₽73.1

65.93%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.84 ₽148

17.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿665

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$3.66 ₽294

-8.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$8.22 ₽662

35.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$2.37 ₽191

20.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$2.06 ₽166

-17.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.12 ₽171

3.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$2.56 ₽206

-19.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.53 ₽123

-5.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$1.23 ₽98.8

12.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.04

$1.48 ₽119

-27.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$0.63 ₽50.6

-19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$2.46 ₽198

73.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$6.21 ₽500

199.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$1.20 ₽96.3

48.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$1.42 ₽114

100.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$0.38 ₽30.55

494.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

$30.61 ₽2,462

-27.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$1.70 ₽137

77.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$1.02 ₽82.1

42.16%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$67.7 ₽5,445

42.38%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$4.71 ₽379

134.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$12.02 ₽967

42.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$12.28 ₽987

324.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$4.27 ₽344

82.90%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$245 ₽19.7K

126.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$111 ₽8,960

-42.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$46.19 ₽3,715

-37.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$172 ₽13.9K

-44.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$120 ₽9,637

-26.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$369 ₽29.7K

99.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$291 ₽23.4K

58.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$534 ₽43.0K

292.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$422 ₽33.9K

184.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

$491 ₽39.5K

610.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$361 ₽29.0K

598.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

$395 ₽31.7K

26.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

17.5

-68.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nalchik: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Nalchik

$291 30.5% 37% $171

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Nalchik

$162 * 17% 39.6% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Nalchik

$84 8.8% 32.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Nalchik

$202 21.2% 62.8% $78

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Nalchik

$160 16.7% 31.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Nalchik

$21 2.2% 69.3% $47

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Nalchik

$34 * 3.5% 14.2% $5.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $369 in Nalchik. 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 27% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $43.00 in Nalchik. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Phuket vs $162 in Nalchik – so Nalchik wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Nalchik

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

17:24 5:24 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

239,054

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.93 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 80.44 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.43 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Nalchik 6,610 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nalchik

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 Nalchik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $955 in Nalchik – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,432 in Nalchik. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 39% less in Nalchik. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $245 in Nalchik. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nalchik, where all-in costs run around $955, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Nalchik 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 $955 in Nalchik to $1,208 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Nalchik. 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.