Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Samara

For one person, living is cheaper in Samara: $765 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Samara
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Samara Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Samara

🇷🇺 Russia

$765

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Samara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $765 in Samara.

Phuket $1,208
Samara $765

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,253 in Samara.

Phuket $2,027
Samara $1,253

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,741 in Samara.

Phuket $2,845
Samara $1,741

Living in Phuket is roughly 58% more expensive than in Samara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Samara 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$8.57 ₽716

-48.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$43.02 ₽3,591

-25.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.21 ₽435

68.14%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.30 ₽192

23.04%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.14 ₽94.9

-21.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.52 ₽43.42

-9.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.77 ₽148

44.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.97 ₽248

28.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.24 ₽104

39.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.05 ₽87.7

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.62 ₽135

-6.79%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.53 ₽128

41.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.14 ₽1,013

62.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$7.07 ₽590

-52.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.47 ₽624

49.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.04 ₽254

-6.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.76 ₽147

-3.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.04 ₽337

-49.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.83 ₽68.9

74.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.38 ₽31.46

263.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.56 ₽46.44

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.51 ₽210

69.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.07 ₽89.5

66.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.46 ₽38.41

391.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.70 ₽309

-18.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$3.69 ₽308

4.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.87 ₽72.9

66.67%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$51.7K ₽4.3M

-49.11%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$41.2K ₽3.4M

-34.57%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$140 ₽11.7K

-31.29%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$4.73 ₽395

133.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$13.93 ₽1,163

23.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$42.07 ₽3,511

24.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$21.95 ₽1,832

-49.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.95 ₽997

-34.64%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$146 ₽12.1K

-55.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$78.9 ₽6,587

-63.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$158 ₽13.2K

-39.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$86.0 ₽7,176

2.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,443 ₽203.9K

42.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,601 ₽133.6K

57.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

25.03

-77.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Samara: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Samara

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Samara

$191 * 25% 28.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Samara

$159 20.8% 27.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Samara

$211 27.5% 69.5% $86

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Samara

$133 17.4% 9.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Samara

$66 8.6% 2.7% $1.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Samara

$5.5 * 0.7% 86% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $43.00 in Samara. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $191, with Samara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Samara

🕒 Local time

19:30 7:30 PM

16:30 4:30 PM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,163,645

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Samara 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Samara

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 Samara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,148 in Samara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Samara – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $765 in Samara versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Samara but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Samara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Samara 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 Samara 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 Samara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.