Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rustavi Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rustavi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $875 in Rustavi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,312 in Rustavi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,749 in Rustavi.

Living in Phuket is roughly 41% more expensive than Rustavi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Rustavi 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$11.05 ₾29.73

-58.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$29.04 ₾78.1

61.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$8.22 ₾22.10

7.54%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$1.91 ₾5.13

57.07%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.81 ₾2.18

-8.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.46 ₾1.23

-19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$2.25 ₾6.05

8.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.98 ₾8.03

21.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.97 ₾5.29

14.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.73 ₾1.96

152.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$1.50 ₾4.05

49.33%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.27 ₾6.10

2.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$7.59 ₾20.42

159.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$4.72 ₾12.70

-22.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$9.48 ₾25.49

38.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$0.93 ₾2.50

264.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.63 ₾4.37

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.85 ₾4.98

30.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.00 ₾2.68

103.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.70 ₾1.88

122.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.58 ₾1.55

158.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$1.20 ₾3.23

-15.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.70 ₾1.89

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$3.01 ₾8.10

47.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$3.71 ₾9.98

408.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.52 ₾4.10

17.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.20 ₾5.93

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.23 ₾0.62

508.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$10.82 ₾29.10

6.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$1.30 ₾3.49

140.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.35 ₾0.94

185.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$3.77 ₾10.14

273.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.10 ₾2.96

22.73%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$18.0K ₾48.5K

50.71%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$9,074 ₾24.4K

262.81%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$73.4 ₾197

70.30%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$7.10 ₾19.09

91.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$11.04 ₾29.70

67.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$25.17 ₾67.7

144.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$18.15 ₾48.82

-7.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$6.55 ₾17.62

40.31%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$265 ₾712

163.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$5,104 ₾13.7K

205.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$74.4 ₾200

-22.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$43.53 ₾117

-19.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$105 ₾281

8.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$105 ₾283

-17.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$258 ₾695

138.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$240 ₾647

85.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$430 ₾1,157

376.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$293 ₾787

410.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$1,009 ₾2,714

274.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$744 ₾2,001

256.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$436 ₾1,173

20.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

11.89

-55.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Rustavi: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $258 in Rustavi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 20% 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: $47.00 in Phuket vs $29.00 in Rustavi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $180 per month, with Rustavi cheaper across the board.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Phuket pays 20% more on average, 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: $616 in Phuket versus $258 in Rustavi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $265 in Rustavi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 63% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $875 in Rustavi versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $2,000 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.

For families, Rustavi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Rustavi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rustavi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.