Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Popovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Popovo: $916 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Popovo
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Popovo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Popovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Popovo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $916 in Popovo.

Phuket $1,294
Popovo $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,382 in Popovo.

Phuket $2,204
Popovo $1,382

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,848 in Popovo.

Phuket $3,115
Popovo $1,848

Living in Phuket is roughly 41% more expensive than in Popovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Popovo 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$8.60 BGN 15.04

-48.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$28.66 BGN 50.2

12.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$6.72 BGN 11.76

29.46%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$1.12 BGN 1.96

142.86%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.77 BGN 1.36

20.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-67.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.52 BGN 4.41

0.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.20 BGN 7.34

-13.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.52 BGN 2.65

14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.03 BGN 1.81

40.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.22 BGN 3.89

-32.43%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.56 BGN 4.49

-15.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$6.97 BGN 12.20

173.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$8.01 BGN 14.02

-57.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$14.19 BGN 24.83

-23.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.47 BGN 2.56

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.45 BGN 2.54

16.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.41 BGN 2.46

55.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$2.21 BGN 3.87

-4.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.06 BGN 1.85

37.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.05 BGN 1.84

30.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.22 BGN 2.14

-11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.70 BGN 1.23

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.05 BGN 7.08

9.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$6.31 BGN 11.05

189.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$0.88 BGN 1.55

101.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.03 BGN 3.56

41.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.90 BGN 1.57

61.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$25.79 BGN 45.13

112.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.55 BGN 0.96

174.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.54 BGN 0.95

44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.90 BGN 13.82

-51.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-4.49%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$28.0K BGN 49.0K

-3.97%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$21.6K BGN 37.9K

21.80%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$113 BGN 197

-13.21%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$18.10 BGN 31.67

-37.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$15.58 BGN 27.26

10.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$19.80 BGN 34.65

245.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$17.16 BGN 30.03

-36.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$6.12 BGN 10.71

21.41%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$509 BGN 892

4.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$5,443 BGN 9,526

245.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$50.6 BGN 88.6

21.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$39.95 BGN 69.9

-29.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$67.5 BGN 118

42.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$45.19 BGN 79.1

92.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$338 BGN 591

113.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$260 BGN 455

95.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$554 BGN 970

251.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$403 BGN 705

246.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$1,323 BGN 2,314

216.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,083 BGN 1,896

204.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$1,266 BGN 2,215

-61.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.1

79.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Popovo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Popovo

$260 28.4% 48.9% $249

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Popovo

$221 24.1% 17.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Popovo

$146 16% 15.9% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Popovo

$91 10% 25.5% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Popovo

$133 14.5% 10.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Popovo

$32 3.5% 61.5% $51

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Popovo

$33 3.6% 50.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $338 in Popovo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Popovo pays about 2.6 times 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 $29 in Popovo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $221 per month, with Popovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇬 Popovo

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

15:42 3:42 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,878

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Popovo 7,970 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Popovo

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 Popovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Popovo is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 61% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $338 in Popovo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $509 in Popovo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Popovo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Popovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.