Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Novosibirsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Novosibirsk: $1,153 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Novosibirsk
Learn more

Novosibirsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Novosibirsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Novosibirsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,153 in Novosibirsk.

Phuket $1,278
Novosibirsk $1,153

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,833 in Novosibirsk.

Phuket $2,216
Novosibirsk $1,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,512 in Novosibirsk.

Phuket $3,154
Novosibirsk $2,512

Living in Phuket is roughly 11% more expensive than in Novosibirsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Novosibirsk 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.60 ₽928

-61.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$48.68 ₽3,894

-33.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.27 ₽501

40.51%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.81 ₽225

0.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.18 ₽94.5

-26.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.58 ₽46.53

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.23 ₽98.3

108.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.61 ₽288

1.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.23 ₽98.5

34.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.72 ₽57.9

102.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.48 ₽119

1.35%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.73 ₽139

20.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$11.99 ₽959

59.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.00 ₽400

-34.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.33 ₽986

-11.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.91 ₽153

53.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.79 ₽143

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.06 ₽165

9.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.36 ₽269

-38.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.82 ₽66.0

84.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.61 ₽48.96

126.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.55 ₽124

-30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.83 ₽66.7

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.17 ₽253

32.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.66 ₽853

76.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.00 ₽79.8

82.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.70 ₽136

67.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.55 ₽43.81

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$32.41 ₽2,592

74.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.54 ₽203

18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.52 ₽41.65

96.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$6.21 ₽497

-40.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.82 ₽66.0

79.27%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$43.9K ₽3.5M

-38.97%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$39.4K ₽3.2M

-32.24%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$111 ₽8,903

-13.44%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.18 ₽574

56.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$8.33 ₽666

102.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$38.16 ₽3,052

76.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$30.42 ₽2,433

-64.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.41 ₽592

1.21%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$312 ₽24.9K

52.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$71.9 ₽5,753

-13.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$47.55 ₽3,803

-40.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$144 ₽11.6K

-34.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$100 ₽8,035

-14.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$570 ₽45.6K

25.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$379 ₽30.3K

29.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,022 ₽81.7K

88.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$692 ₽55.4K

106.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,446 ₽195.6K

70.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,869 ₽149.5K

62.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$922 ₽73.8K

-45.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

22.83

-75.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Novosibirsk: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Novosibirsk

$379 32.8% 22.8% $112

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Novosibirsk

$225 19.5% 15.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Novosibirsk

$127 11% 1.9% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Novosibirsk

$164 14.2% 34.5% $42

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Novosibirsk

$166 14.4% 36.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Novosibirsk

$53 4.6% 35.6% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Novosibirsk

$40 3.5% 43.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $570 in Novosibirsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novosibirsk pays 84% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $49 in Novosibirsk. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $225, with Novosibirsk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Novosibirsk

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,620,162

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 79.99 RUB (100 RUB = 1.25 USD). 1 EUR = 89.26 RUB (100 RUB = 1.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Novosibirsk 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Novosibirsk

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 Novosibirsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novosibirsk is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 46% 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 $570 in Novosibirsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $312 in Novosibirsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Novosibirsk gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.