Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shumen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $913 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shumen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $913 in Shumen.

Phuket $1,278
Shumen $913

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,422 in Shumen.

Phuket $2,216
Shumen $1,422

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,931 in Shumen.

Phuket $3,154
Shumen $1,931

Living in Phuket is roughly 40% more expensive than in Shumen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Shumen 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.14 BGN 15.99

-51.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$34.66 BGN 60.7

-6.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.14 BGN 15.99

-3.61%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.69 BGN 2.96

67.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.43 BGN 2.50

-39.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.07 BGN 1.87

-54.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.95 BGN 5.15

-13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.89 BGN 5.06

27.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.84 BGN 3.23

-9.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.08 BGN 1.89

35.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.57 BGN 4.49

-41.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.85 BGN 4.98

-26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.11 BGN 15.94

109.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.11 BGN 8.95

-35.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.86 BGN 15.51

23.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.52 BGN 2.66

92.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.17 BGN 3.80

3.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.30 BGN 4.02

-9.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.05 BGN 3.59

-26.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.25 BGN 2.20

10.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.88 BGN 1.53

21.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.77 BGN 1.34

-32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.67 BGN 6.41

14.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.00 BGN 12.25

168.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.97 BGN 1.69

87.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.47 BGN 2.57

93.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.88 BGN 1.54

64.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$26.12 BGN 45.72

116.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.76 BGN 3.07

71.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.53 BGN 0.93

92.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.59 BGN 2.78

-7.55%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$30.9K BGN 54.1K

-13.39%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$22.3K BGN 39.1K

19.50%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$133 BGN 232

-27.38%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.68 BGN 30.94

-36.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$16.94 BGN 29.64

-0.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$38.15 BGN 66.8

76.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$11.41 BGN 19.97

-5.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.04 BGN 12.32

6.53%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$561 BGN 982

-15.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$10.5K BGN 18.4K

7.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$47.91 BGN 83.8

30.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$51.6 BGN 90.4

-44.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$94.2 BGN 165

0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$60.6 BGN 106

41.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$263 BGN 460

172.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$180 BGN 315

173.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$427 BGN 748

351.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$334 BGN 584

328.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,231 BGN 2,154

239.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$997 BGN 1,744

205.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,024 BGN 1,792

-50.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.25

71.38%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shumen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Shumen

$180 19.7% 63.4% $311

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Shumen

$214 23.4% 19.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Shumen

$167 18.3% 34.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shumen

$114 12.5% 6.1% $7.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shumen

$151 16.6% 24.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Shumen

$52 5.7% 36.5% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Shumen

$34 3.7% 51.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $263 in Shumen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shumen pays about 2 times 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 $35 in Shumen. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $214, with Shumen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇬 Shumen

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

20:21 8:21 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

85,504

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, 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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Shumen 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shumen

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 Shumen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shumen is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 51% 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 $263 in Shumen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $561 in Shumen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $913 in Shumen versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shumen but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shumen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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