Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saratov

For one person, living is cheaper in Saratov: $1,207 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Saratov
Learn more

Saratov Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Saratov

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saratov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,207 in Saratov.

Phuket $1,278
Saratov $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,852 in Saratov.

Phuket $2,216
Saratov $1,852

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,497 in Saratov.

Phuket $3,154
Saratov $2,497

Living in Phuket is roughly 6% more expensive than in Saratov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Saratov 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.84 ₽1,277

-71.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.08 ₽813

-12.60%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.23 ₽341

-33.10%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.96 ₽77.4

-9.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.51 ₽41.09

-3.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$0.96 ₽77.4

166.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.15 ₽92.7

44.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.58 ₽127

-5.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.78 ₽144

17.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.28 ₽1,071

43.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.18 ₽499

-46.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.62 ₽1,098

-19.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.96 ₽400

-40.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.41 ₽195

-29.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.76 ₽61.4

196.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$5.68 ₽458

-63.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.21 ₽97.6

24.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.53 ₽42.92

160.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.98 ₽78.7

9.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.70 ₽56.4

-25.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.15 ₽254

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.86 ₽796

90.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.12 ₽90.4

62.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.25 ₽181

26.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.59 ₽47.23

145.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$16.03 ₽1,293

253.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.39 ₽112

117.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.35 ₽28.25

191.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.52 ₽768

-61.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.80 ₽64.6

83.75%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$53.0K ₽4.3M

-49.44%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$42.0K ₽3.4M

-36.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$121 ₽9,729

-20.13%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.18 ₽821

10.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$11.04 ₽891

52.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$49.18 ₽3,966

36.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$27.42 ₽2,211

-60.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.23 ₽664

-8.87%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$326 ₽26.3K

45.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,192 ₽176.8K

413.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$90.2 ₽7,276

-30.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$56.7 ₽4,572

-49.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$110 ₽8,837

-13.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$122 ₽9,827

-29.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$525 ₽42.3K

36.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$336 ₽27.1K

46.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,023 ₽82.5K

88.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$715 ₽57.6K

100.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,813 ₽146.2K

130.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,306 ₽105.3K

133.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$784 ₽63.3K

-35.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

25.33

-78.01%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Saratov: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Saratov

$336 27.8% 31.6% $155

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Saratov

$254 * 21% 4.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Saratov

$142 11.8% 14% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saratov

$170 14.1% 39.7% $48

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Saratov

$218 * 18.1% 79.4% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Saratov

$66 5.4% 20.2% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Saratov

$22 1.8% 69.5% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $525 in Saratov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saratov pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Saratov

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

05:02 5:02 AM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

818,383

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.78 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Saratov 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saratov

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 Saratov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saratov is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 36% 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 $525 in Saratov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $326 in Saratov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Saratov runs roughly 72% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Saratov is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.