Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saransk Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saransk

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $883 in Saransk.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,382 in Saransk.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,881 in Saransk.

Living in Phuket is roughly 43% more expensive than Saransk, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Saransk 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿153

$11.29 ₽824

-58.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,482

$37.56 ₽2,741

20.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿275

$5.61 ₽409

50.27%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.6

$2.71 ₽198

8.12%

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

$0.69 ฿22.40

$1.31 ₽95.7

-47.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.99

$0.46 ₽33.22

-19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$1.00 ₽72.7

141.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$3.23 ₽235

15.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿72.9

$1.04 ₽76.2

114.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.8

$0.61 ₽44.27

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.8

$1.31 ₽95.3

65.65%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.3

$1.54 ₽113

43.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$10.48 ₽765

88.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$4.77 ₽348

-23.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$8.93 ₽651

51.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$1.31 ₽95.3

150.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.6

$1.68 ₽123

-4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$0.94 ₽68.5

156.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$2.53 ₽185

-17.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.93

$0.70 ₽51.4

118.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.36

$0.67 ₽49.19

120.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.29

$1.23 ₽89.8

-19.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.67

$0.56 ₽40.67

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$2.48 ₽181

77.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿633

$8.09 ₽591

139.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.03 ₽75.3

72.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.6

$1.55 ₽113

74.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.79

$0.49 ₽35.53

179.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$25.52 ₽1,862

-55.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.6

$1.87 ₽136

61.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.48

$0.54 ₽39.75

83.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$7.61 ₽555

85.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.51

$0.76 ₽55.6

78.95%

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

$28.2K ฿921.1K

$23.5K ₽1.7M

19.77%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$27.9K ₽2.0M

18.13%

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

$122 ฿3,975

$111 ₽8,107

9.58%

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

$13.57 ฿443

$3.19 ₽233

325.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿598

$7.26 ₽530

152.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,967

$36.13 ₽2,637

66.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$3.80 ₽277

351.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$6.48 ₽473

34.10%

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

$693 ฿22.6K

$341 ₽24.9K

103.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.3K

$3,918 ₽285.9K

300.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,944

$44.53 ₽3,250

33.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,136

$31.64 ₽2,310

9.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,743

$63.6 ₽4,644

80.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,720

$37.55 ₽2,741

121.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$513 ₽37.5K

19.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$251 ₽18.3K

74.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.4K

$773 ₽56.5K

170.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$499 ₽36.4K

202.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

$1,689 ₽123.3K

121.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

$1,094 ₽79.9K

139.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$485 ₽35.4K

4.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

16.33

-67.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Saransk: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $513 in Saransk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 5% 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: $45.00 in Phuket vs $38.00 in Saransk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $183 per month, with Saransk 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 Saransk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saransk is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Phuket pays 5% 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: $613 in Phuket versus $513 in Saransk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $341 in Saransk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $883 in Saransk versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Saransk but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Saransk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Saransk 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 Saransk 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 Saransk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.