Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shakhty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shakhty: $1,073 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Shakhty
Learn more

Shakhty Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Shakhty

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shakhty

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,073 in Shakhty.

Phuket $1,278
Shakhty $1,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,683 in Shakhty.

Phuket $2,216
Shakhty $1,683

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,293 in Shakhty.

Phuket $3,154
Shakhty $2,293

Living in Phuket is roughly 19% more expensive than in Shakhty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Shakhty 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.55 ₽932

-61.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$37.49 ₽3,024

-13.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.29 ₽507

40.06%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.71 ₽218

4.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.12 ₽90.2

-22.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.62 ₽50.0

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.77 ₽143

44.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.06 ₽247

20.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.12 ₽90.1

48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.75 ₽60.4

94.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.38 ₽111

8.70%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.56 ₽125

33.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.22 ₽905

69.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.41 ₽436

-39.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.57 ₽933

-5.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.78 ₽144

64.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.79 ₽144

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.75 ₽141

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.78 ₽224

-25.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.78 ₽63.3

93.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.62 ₽49.87

122.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.30 ₽105

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.71 ₽57.3

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.02 ₽244

39.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.73 ₽623

143.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.11 ₽89.9

63.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.99 ₽161

42.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.53 ₽42.60

173.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$27.94 ₽2,253

102.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.36 ₽191

27.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.38 ₽30.39

168.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.90 ₽476

-37.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.82 ₽66.2

79.27%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$52.2K ₽4.2M

-48.69%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$39.9K ₽3.2M

-33.17%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$123 ₽9,905

-21.55%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.27 ₽506

79.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$8.60 ₽693

95.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$36.16 ₽2,916

85.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$23.72 ₽1,913

-54.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.28 ₽506

19.43%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$357 ₽28.8K

33.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,390 ₽515.4K

76.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$82.4 ₽6,642

-24.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$53.0 ₽4,275

-46.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$121 ₽9,776

-22.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$106 ₽8,524

-18.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$481 ₽38.8K

48.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$315 ₽25.4K

55.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$900 ₽72.5K

114.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$584 ₽47.1K

144.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,280 ₽183.9K

83.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,516 ₽122.3K

100.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.45

-74.03%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shakhty: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Shakhty

$315 29.4% 35.8% $176

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Shakhty

$209 19.4% 21.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Shakhty

$138 12.8% 10.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shakhty

$163 15.2% 33.7% $41

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shakhty

$166 15.4% 36.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Shakhty

$49 4.5% 40.8% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Shakhty

$34 3.2% 51.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $481 in Shakhty. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $37 in Shakhty. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $209, with Shakhty cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Shakhty

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

23:27 11:27 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

235,492

💱 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 28, 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 28, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Shakhty 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shakhty

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shakhty is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,610 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: $716 in Phuket versus $481 in Shakhty. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $357 in Shakhty. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Shakhty gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.