Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saint Petersburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,375 in Saint Petersburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Saint Petersburg
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Saint Petersburg Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Saint Petersburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saint Petersburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,375 in Saint Petersburg.

Phuket $1,278
Saint Petersburg $1,375

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,195 in Saint Petersburg.

Phuket $2,216
Saint Petersburg $2,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,014 in Saint Petersburg.

Phuket $3,154
Saint Petersburg $3,014

Living in Phuket costs roughly 7% less than in Saint Petersburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.42 ₽1,000

-64.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$44.05 ₽3,547

-26.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.95 ₽560

26.76%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.26 ₽263

-13.19%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.61 ₽129

-45.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.78 ₽62.6

-37.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.81 ₽226

-8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.63 ₽292

1.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.19 ₽95.9

39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.95 ₽76.8

53.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.70 ₽137

-11.76%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.67 ₽134

25.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.39 ₽998

53.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.64 ₽535

-50.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.85 ₽1,035

-15.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.75 ₽141

67.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.64 ₽132

3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.79 ₽145

25.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.36 ₽270

-38.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.83 ₽66.8

81.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.63 ₽50.6

119.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.33 ₽107

-19.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.78 ₽62.7

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.16 ₽255

32.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.41 ₽758

99.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.19 ₽95.5

52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.97 ₽159

44.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.10 ₽88.8

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$56.1 ₽4,518

1.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.80 ₽226

7.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.60 ₽48.55

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.01 ₽726

-59.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.88 ₽71.2

67.05%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$43.0K ₽3.5M

-37.78%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$37.4K ₽3.0M

-28.56%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$156 ₽12.6K

-38.32%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.85 ₽632

43.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$8.71 ₽701

93.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$41.31 ₽3,327

62.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$43.82 ₽3,529

-75.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.57 ₽609

-0.92%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$663 ₽53.4K

-28.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$17.9K ₽1.4M

-37.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$98.5 ₽7,935

-36.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$54.2 ₽4,364

-47.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$140 ₽11.3K

-32.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$128 ₽10.3K

-32.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$772 ₽62.1K

-7.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$466 ₽37.6K

5.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,619 ₽130.4K

19.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$974 ₽78.4K

46.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,632 ₽373.0K

-9.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,886 ₽232.4K

5.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,230 ₽99.0K

-59.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

19.69

-71.71%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Saint Petersburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Saint Petersburg

$466 33.9% 5% $24

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Saint Petersburg

$234 17% 12.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Saint Petersburg

$173 12.6% 38.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saint Petersburg

$189 13.8% 55.3% $67

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saint Petersburg

$190 13.8% 56.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Saint Petersburg

$56 4.1% 31.4% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Saint Petersburg

$66 4.8% 6% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $772 in Saint Petersburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Petersburg pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $44 in Saint Petersburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $234, with Saint Petersburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Saint Petersburg

🕒 Local time

21:40 9:40 PM

17:40 5:40 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,597,763

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 1, 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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Between locations

Phuket Saint Petersburg 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saint Petersburg

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 Saint Petersburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in eating out and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 59% 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 $772 in Saint Petersburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $663 in Saint Petersburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $44 in Saint Petersburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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