Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Noril'sk

For one person, living is cheaper in Noril’sk: $1,075 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Noril'sk
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Noril'sk Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Noril'sk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Noril'sk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,075 in Noril’sk.

Phuket $1,278
Noril'sk $1,075

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,677 in Noril’sk.

Phuket $2,216
Noril'sk $1,677

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,279 in Noril’sk.

Phuket $3,154
Noril'sk $2,279

Living in Phuket is roughly 19% more expensive than in Noril’sk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Noril’sk 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.59 ₽927

-61.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$37.72 ₽3,017

-14.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.44 ₽515

36.80%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.75 ₽220

2.91%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.14 ₽91.2

-23.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.58 ₽46.43

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.83 ₽146

39.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.05 ₽244

20.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.13 ₽90.0

46.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.78 ₽62.1

87.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.43 ₽114

4.90%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.62 ₽130

29.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$11.40 ₽912

67.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.41 ₽432

-39.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.43 ₽914

-4.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.77 ₽142

65.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.84 ₽147

-8.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.82 ₽145

23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.75 ₽220

-24.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.84 ₽67.4

79.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.57 ₽45.86

142.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.36 ₽108

-21.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.75 ₽60.0

-30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.99 ₽239

40.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$7.71 ₽617

143.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.12 ₽89.7

62.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.02 ₽162

40.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.56 ₽44.89

158.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$23.97 ₽1,917

136.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.40 ₽192

25.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.37 ₽29.74

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$5.66 ₽453

-34.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.86 ₽68.4

70.93%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$52.1K ₽4.2M

-48.58%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$40.3K ₽3.2M

-33.78%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$123 ₽9,873

-21.95%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.31 ₽504

78.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$8.60 ₽688

95.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$36.30 ₽2,904

85.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$24.07 ₽1,925

-55.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.31 ₽505

18.86%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$350 ₽28.0K

35.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$6,303 ₽504.1K

78.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$82.5 ₽6,601

-24.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$53.3 ₽4,260

-46.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$120 ₽9,638

-21.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$104 ₽8,305

-17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$482 ₽38.5K

48.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$317 ₽25.4K

54.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$887 ₽71.0K

117.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$570 ₽45.6K

151.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,294 ₽183.5K

82.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,517 ₽121.4K

100.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.45

-74.03%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Noril'sk: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Noril'sk

$317 29.5% 35.4% $174

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Noril'sk

$211 19.6% 20.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Noril'sk

$138 12.9% 11.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Noril'sk

$162 15.1% 32.9% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Noril'sk

$167 15.6% 37.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Noril'sk

$49 4.6% 40.5% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Noril'sk

$30 2.8% 56.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $482 in Noril’sk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $38 in Noril’sk. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $211, with Noril’sk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Noril'sk

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

182,701

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 RUB = 1.25 USD

100 RUB = 1.12 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 79.99 RUB (100 RUB = 1.25 USD). 1 EUR = 89.04 RUB (100 RUB = 1.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Noril'sk 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Noril'sk

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 Noril'sk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Noril’sk wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Noril’sk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,612 in Noril’sk to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $482 in Noril’sk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Noril’sk runs roughly 58% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $350 in Noril’sk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Noril’sk is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.