Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Samsun

For one person, living is cheaper in Samsun: $940 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Samsun
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Samsun Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Samsun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$940

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Samsun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $940 in Samsun.

Phuket $1,278
Samsun $940

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,631 in Samsun.

Phuket $2,216
Samsun $1,631

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,321 in Samsun.

Phuket $3,154
Samsun $2,321

Living in Phuket is roughly 36% more expensive than in Samsun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Samsun 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.06 ₺502

-55.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$59.3 ₺2,961

-45.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.45 ₺522

-15.69%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.97 ₺198

-28.72%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.84 ₺41.91

3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.29 ₺14.38

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.86 ₺92.7

37.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.03 ₺101

81.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.17 ₺58.5

41.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.94 ₺96.8

-24.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.73 ₺136

-45.05%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.44 ₺122

-14.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.20 ₺409

132.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.53 ₺276

-40.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$26.33 ₺1,315

-58.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.40 ₺120

22.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.34 ₺117

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.46 ₺72.9

54.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.04 ₺51.9

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.44 ₺21.91

243.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.34 ₺16.82

305.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.82 ₺40.84

30.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.68 ₺33.76

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.16 ₺108

94.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.79 ₺439

113.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.61 ₺80.4

13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.28 ₺114

24.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.60 ₺30.20

141.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$11.88 ₺593

376.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.03 ₺101

48.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.63 ₺31.28

61.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.33 ₺316

-41.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.29 ₺64.2

13.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$41.2K ₺2.1M

-35.02%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$39.0K ₺1.9M

-31.50%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$87.1 ₺4,351

10.57%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.43 ₺621

-9.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$12.50 ₺624

34.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$30.67 ₺1,532

119.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.89 ₺294

82.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.05 ₺202

85.19%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$256 ₺12.8K

85.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$23.82 ₺1,189

161.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$30.41 ₺1,518

-6.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$69.7 ₺3,479

35.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$60.4 ₺3,018

41.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$354 ₺17.7K

102.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$246 ₺12.3K

99.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$738 ₺36.9K

160.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$612 ₺30.6K

133.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$973 ₺48.6K

329.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$664 ₺33.2K

358.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$934 ₺46.7K

-46.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-88.63%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Samsun: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Samsun

$246 26.2% 49.9% $245

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Samsun

$264 28% 1% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Samsun

$112 11.9% 10% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Samsun

$83 8.8% 31.9% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Samsun

$177 18.9% 45.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Samsun

$39 4.1% 52.9% $43

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Samsun

$19 2.1% 72.4% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $354 in Samsun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samsun pays 86% 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 $59 in Samsun. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $264, with Samsun cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇷 Samsun

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

02:13 2:13 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,295,927

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 49.93 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.75 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Samsun 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Samsun

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 Samsun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samsun is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 46% 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 $354 in Samsun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $256 in Samsun. 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 $59 in Samsun. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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