Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Novokuznetsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,435 in Novokuznetsk, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Novokuznetsk despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Novokuznetsk
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Novokuznetsk Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Novokuznetsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,435

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Novokuznetsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,435 in Novokuznetsk.

Phuket $1,278
Novokuznetsk $1,435

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,321 in Novokuznetsk.

Phuket $2,216
Novokuznetsk $2,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,206 in Novokuznetsk.

Phuket $3,154
Novokuznetsk $3,206

Living in Phuket costs roughly 11% less than in Novokuznetsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Novokuznetsk is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.48 ₽1,005

-64.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$61.5 ₽4,954

-47.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.85 ₽551

28.61%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.63 ₽212

7.60%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.12 ₽171

-58.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.14 ₽92.2

-57.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.22 ₽340

-39.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.15 ₽495

-40.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.46 ₽118

13.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.87 ₽69.8

67.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.41 ₽114

6.38%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.67 ₽135

25.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.85 ₽712

115.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.45 ₽600

-55.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.51 ₽766

14.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.05 ₽165

42.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.27 ₽183

-25.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.49 ₽200

-9.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.16 ₽335

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.89 ₽71.6

69.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.57 ₽45.75

142.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.52 ₽122

-29.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.72 ₽58.1

-27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.64 ₽293

15.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.25 ₽504

200.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.81 ₽146

0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.75 ₽221

3.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.63 ₽50.8

130.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$31.35 ₽2,525

80.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.85 ₽149

63.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.60 ₽48.17

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.90 ₽72.3

63.33%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$34.2K ₽2.8M

-21.65%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$34.9K ₽2.8M

-23.60%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$227 ₽18.3K

-57.64%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.31 ₽428

112.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$6.59 ₽531

155.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$52.8 ₽4,250

27.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$29.05 ₽2,339

-63.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.55 ₽608

-0.66%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$705 ₽56.8K

-32.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$17.9K ₽1.4M

-36.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$147 ₽11.8K

-57.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$85.9 ₽6,915

-66.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$184 ₽14.8K

-48.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$371 ₽29.8K

-76.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$470 ₽37.8K

52.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$308 ₽24.8K

59.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$984 ₽79.3K

95.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$696 ₽56.0K

105.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,232 ₽179.8K

87.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,546 ₽124.5K

96.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$590 ₽47.6K

-14.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

22.75

-75.52%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Novokuznetsk: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Novokuznetsk

$308 21.5% 37.2% $183

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Novokuznetsk

$228 15.9% 14.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Novokuznetsk

$239 16.7% 92.3% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Novokuznetsk

$354 24.7% 191% $232

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Novokuznetsk

$198 13.8% 63% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Novokuznetsk

$68 4.7% 17.5% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Novokuznetsk

$39 2.7% 45.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $470 in Novokuznetsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novokuznetsk pays 18% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $62 in Novokuznetsk. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $228, with Novokuznetsk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Novokuznetsk

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

544,583

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Novokuznetsk 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Novokuznetsk

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 Novokuznetsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,435 in Novokuznetsk, so Phuket is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $470 in Novokuznetsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $62 in Novokuznetsk. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,435 in Novokuznetsk – Phuket is about 11% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Novokuznetsk on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.