Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shakhty Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shakhty

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $976 in Shakhty.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $1,520 in Shakhty.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $2,063 in Shakhty.

Living in Phuket is roughly 30% more expensive than in Shakhty, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Shakhty 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿153

$9.58 ₽817

-51.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,060

$36.51 ₽3,112

-11.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿286

$6.21 ₽529

39.77%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.4

$2.28 ₽194

27.19%

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

$0.84 ฿27.78

$1.08 ₽91.7

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.10

$0.57 ₽48.35

-14.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿81.7

$1.76 ₽150

40.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$2.73 ₽232

36.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.0

$1.16 ₽98.8

62.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.36

$0.79 ₽67.1

78.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.4

$1.24 ₽106

30.65%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿73.8

$1.64 ₽140

36.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿653

$9.81 ₽836

102.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿114

$4.49 ₽383

-22.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿374

$8.91 ₽759

27.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.4

$1.51 ₽128

92.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿56.8

$1.69 ₽144

1.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿74.8

$1.96 ₽167

15.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.2

$2.76 ₽235

-22.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.53

$0.73 ₽62.0

101.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.73

$0.56 ₽47.70

153.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.11

$1.43 ₽122

-23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.68

$0.68 ₽58.0

-11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$2.71 ₽231

59.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿612

$6.83 ₽582

172.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.3

$0.97 ₽82.4

85.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿97.6

$2.17 ₽185

36.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿73.9

$0.53 ₽45.58

324.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$1.98 ₽169

56.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.42

$0.29 ₽24.95

272.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿127

$5.83 ₽497

-33.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿46.97

$0.82 ₽69.8

74.39%

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

$27.8K ฿914.4K

$28.2K ₽2.4M

-1.58%

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

$27.0K ฿888.0K

$35.1K ₽3.0M

-23.10%

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

$105 ฿3,449

$107 ₽9,128

-2.14%

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

$11.39 ฿375

$6.13 ₽523

85.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿577

$7.18 ₽612

144.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,788

$35.69 ₽3,042

52.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿377

$23.10 ₽1,969

-50.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿256

$6.44 ₽549

20.81%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$316 ₽26.9K

82.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿381.2K

$6,161 ₽525.1K

87.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,094

$74.7 ₽6,368

-14.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿958

$51.4 ₽4,379

-43.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,167

$100 ₽8,531

-3.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,962

$86.5 ₽7,370

4.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.1K

$435 ₽37.1K

68.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$278 ₽23.7K

80.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.0K

$702 ₽59.8K

202.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.2K

$512 ₽43.6K

144.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.3K

$2,208 ₽188.2K

60.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.3K

$1,383 ₽117.9K

89.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-73.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Shakhty: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $435 in Shakhty. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $37.00 in Shakhty. Groceries flip the comparison at $275 vs $189, with Shakhty cheaper for home cooking.

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shakhty is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,464 in Shakhty 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $733 in Phuket versus $435 in Shakhty. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $316 in Shakhty. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shakhty – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $976 in Shakhty versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shakhty but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shakhty the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Shakhty 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 Shakhty 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 Shakhty gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.