Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rustavi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustavi: $848 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Rustavi
Learn more

Rustavi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Rustavi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$848

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rustavi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $848 in Rustavi.

Phuket $1,294
Rustavi $848

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,263 in Rustavi.

Phuket $2,204
Rustavi $1,263

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,679 in Rustavi.

Phuket $3,115
Rustavi $1,679

Living in Phuket is roughly 53% more expensive than in Rustavi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Rustavi 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$10.20 ₾26.38

-56.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$30.57 ₾79.1

5.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$10.62 ₾27.48

-18.08%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.99 ₾5.15

36.68%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.75 ₾1.95

24.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.51 ₾1.32

-1.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.24 ₾3.20

104.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.98 ₾5.13

83.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.73 ₾4.48

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$0.51 ₾1.31

184.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.22 ₾3.15

22.95%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.34 ₾6.06

-7.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$5.97 ₾15.44

219.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.89 ₾12.66

-30.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$9.70 ₾25.10

12.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$0.98 ₾2.54

200.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.60 ₾4.14

5.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.50 ₾3.88

46.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.09 ₾2.81

94.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$0.77 ₾1.98

89.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$0.66 ₾1.70

107.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.26 ₾3.27

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.70 ₾1.81

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.22 ₾8.32

37.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$3.78 ₾9.77

382.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.58 ₾4.10

12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.52 ₾6.52

14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.37 ₾0.95

291.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$11.35 ₾29.35

383.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.73 ₾1.90

106.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$0.37 ₾0.97

110.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$3.92 ₾10.13

-2.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.27 ₾3.28

17.32%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$23.5K ₾60.8K

14.39%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$9,645 ₾25.0K

173.13%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$77.0 ₾199

27.04%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$7.84 ₾20.28

44.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$11.51 ₾29.78

49.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$27.33 ₾70.7

150.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$19.31 ₾49.97

-43.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$4.78 ₾12.37

55.44%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$130 ₾337

306.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$2,684 ₾6,946

599.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$57.1 ₾148

7.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$40.57 ₾105

-30.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$95.4 ₾247

0.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$85.7 ₾222

1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$275 ₾712

161.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$250 ₾646

103.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$463 ₾1,197

321.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$308 ₾796

353.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,037 ₾2,684

304.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$776 ₾2,008

324.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$447 ₾1,156

10.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-57.15%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rustavi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Rustavi

$250 29.4% 50.9% $259

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Rustavi

$172 20.2% 35.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Rustavi

$96 11.4% 23.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Rustavi

$125 14.8% 2.2% $2.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Rustavi

$153 18% 27.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Rustavi

$37 4.4% 55.7% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Rustavi

$15 1.8% 76.7% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $275 in Rustavi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $31 in Rustavi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $172 per month, with Rustavi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇪 Rustavi

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

16:33 4:33 PM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

132,333

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.345 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.9 GEL (1 GEL = 0.345 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Rustavi 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rustavi

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 Rustavi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rustavi is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $275 in Rustavi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $130 in Rustavi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $848 in Rustavi versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Rustavi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rustavi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Rustavi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Rustavi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.