Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sterlitamak

For one person, living is cheaper in Sterlitamak: $1,105 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Sterlitamak
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Sterlitamak Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Sterlitamak

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sterlitamak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,105 in Sterlitamak.

Phuket $1,208
Sterlitamak $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,697 in Sterlitamak.

Phuket $2,027
Sterlitamak $1,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,289 in Sterlitamak.

Phuket $2,845
Sterlitamak $2,289

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than in Sterlitamak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Sterlitamak 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$9.19 ₽767

-52.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$35.64 ₽2,975

-9.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$8.36 ₽697

4.78%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.11 ₽260

-9.00%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.13 ₽94.4

-20.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.35 ₽29.21

34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.37 ₽198

7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.86 ₽239

33.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.06 ₽88.3

63.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.72 ₽59.8

104.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.49 ₽124

1.34%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.41 ₽118

53.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$14.51 ₽1,211

35.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.49 ₽375

-25.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.72 ₽645

44.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$0.77 ₽64.5

270.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.30 ₽108

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.32 ₽110

65.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.42 ₽202

-15.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.81 ₽67.4

79.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.56 ₽46.65

146.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.76 ₽63.5

40.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.73 ₽61.1

-30.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.34 ₽279

27.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$6.74 ₽562

175.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.22 ₽102

45.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.10 ₽259

-8.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.52 ₽43.03

334.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.01 ₽251

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.37 ₽30.74

186.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.43 ₽620

-48.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.86 ₽71.4

68.60%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$53.5K ₽4.5M

-50.82%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$41.3K ₽3.4M

-34.73%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$152 ₽12.7K

-36.51%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$6.50 ₽542

69.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$8.00 ₽667

114.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$37.57 ₽3,135

38.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$24.60 ₽2,053

-54.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.91 ₽493

32.15%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$303 ₽25.3K

83.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$5,898 ₽492.3K

96.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$50.6 ₽4,221

26.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$69.4 ₽5,794

-58.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$165 ₽13.8K

-42.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$145 ₽12.1K

-39.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$437 ₽36.4K

68.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$341 ₽28.5K

35.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$767 ₽64.1K

172.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$619 ₽51.6K

94.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,070 ₽172.8K

68.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,673 ₽139.6K

50.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

23.33

-76.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sterlitamak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Sterlitamak

$341 30.9% 26.2% $121

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Sterlitamak

$189 17.1% 29.8% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Sterlitamak

$166 15% 33.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Sterlitamak

$193 17.5% 55.5% $69

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Sterlitamak

$159 14.4% 31.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Sterlitamak

$49 4.5% 27.2% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Sterlitamak

$6.9 * 0.6% 82.5% $33

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 $737 in Phuket and $437 in Sterlitamak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $36.00 in Sterlitamak. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $189, with Sterlitamak cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Sterlitamak

🕒 Local time

21:17 9:17 PM

19:17 7:17 PM

2 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

277,410

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sterlitamak 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sterlitamak

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 Sterlitamak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sterlitamak is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,658 in Sterlitamak 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: $737 in Phuket versus $437 in Sterlitamak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $303 in Sterlitamak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sterlitamak – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,105 in Sterlitamak versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sterlitamak but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sterlitamak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sterlitamak 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 Sterlitamak 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 Sterlitamak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.