Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sumy

For one person, living is cheaper in Sumy: $941 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Sumy
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Sumy Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sumy

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$941

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sumy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $941 in Sumy.

Phuket $1,278
Sumy $941

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,610 in Sumy.

Phuket $2,216
Sumy $1,610

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,279 in Sumy.

Phuket $3,154
Sumy $2,279

Living in Phuket is roughly 36% more expensive than in Sumy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sumy 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.89 ₴496

-58.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$32.99 ₴1,502

-1.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.49 ₴341

17.62%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.80 ₴81.7

57.22%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.78 ₴35.63

11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.53 ₴24.28

-7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.33 ₴60.7

92.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.94 ₴88.4

89.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.27 ₴58.1

30.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.84 ₴38.32

73.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.42 ₴64.8

5.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.95 ₴88.6

7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.13 ₴461

88.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.29 ₴241

-37.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.46 ₴385

28.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.18 ₴53.7

148.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.51 ₴68.6

11.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.81 ₴82.3

24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.69 ₴122

-22.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.58 ₴26.53

160.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.44 ₴20.12

213.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.48 ₴67.4

-27.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.59 ₴26.89

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.85 ₴130

47.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.47 ₴249

243.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.85 ₴38.84

114.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$0.96 ₴43.65

195.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.32 ₴14.42

353.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$9.23 ₴420

513.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.20 ₴100

37.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.46 ₴20.95

121.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.20 ₴191

-12.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.57 ₴71.5

-6.37%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$30.6K ₴1.4M

-12.35%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$24.1K ₴1.1M

10.95%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$99.1 ₴4,510

-2.74%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.80 ₴310

65.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$6.53 ₴297

158.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$30.27 ₴1,378

122.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$20.95 ₴954

-48.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.60 ₴164

108.33%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$229 ₴10.4K

107.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$15.0K ₴682.6K

-24.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$71.7 ₴3,262

-12.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$30.39 ₴1,384

-6.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$94.6 ₴4,306

-0.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$116 ₴5,264

-25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$544 ₴24.8K

31.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$303 ₴13.8K

61.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$992 ₴45.2K

94.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$822 ₴37.4K

74.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,081 ₴49.2K

286.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$845 ₴38.5K

260.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$378 ₴17.2K

32.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

15.9

-64.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sumy: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sumy

$303 32.2% 38.3% $188

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sumy

$185 19.7% 30.4% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sumy

$112 12% 9.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sumy

$141 14.9% 15.3% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sumy

$147 15.6% 20.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sumy

$37 4% 54.4% $45

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sumy

$15 1.6% 78.7% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $544 in Sumy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 33% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $33 in Sumy. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $185, with Sumy cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇦 Sumy

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

267,633

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, 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).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 45.53 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 50.84 UAH (100 UAH = 1.97 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sumy 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sumy

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 Sumy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sumy is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $544 in Sumy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $229 in Sumy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sumy 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.

It comes down to priorities – Sumy wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.