Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sumy Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sumy

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $972 in Sumy.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Phuket versus $1,640 in Sumy.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Phuket versus $2,309 in Sumy.

Living in Phuket is roughly 27% more expensive than in Sumy, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 10% lower, Sumy 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$11.39 ₴509

-61.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,077

$33.14 ₴1,479

-2.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿298

$6.89 ₴307

29.61%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.6

$1.72 ₴76.6

68.60%

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

$0.88 ฿29.38

$0.79 ₴35.17

11.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$0.54 ₴24.29

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.5

$1.37 ₴61.3

71.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$2.07 ₴92.5

79.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.3

$1.28 ₴57.2

46.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.94

$0.82 ₴36.57

79.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.8

$1.48 ₴66.2

4.73%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.1

$2.08 ₴92.8

0.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿654

$10.28 ₴459

90.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$5.44 ₴243

-37.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿380

$8.71 ₴389

30.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.6

$1.23 ₴54.9

142.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.2

$1.56 ₴69.7

7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.7

$1.92 ₴85.9

15.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.1

$2.52 ₴113

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$0.60 ₴26.83

153.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.67

$0.46 ₴20.53

191.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.67

$1.39 ₴62.0

-18.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.62 ₴27.67

-11.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.91 ₴130

46.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿637

$5.55 ₴248

243.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.4

$0.89 ₴39.80

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$0.98 ₴43.83

183.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.4

$0.33 ₴14.57

575.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿759

$8.86 ₴395

156.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$2.29 ₴102

32.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.15

$0.47 ₴20.85

117.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$4.29 ₴192

-9.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.77

$1.49 ₴66.4

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

$26.6K ฿887.3K

$28.9K ₴1.3M

-7.95%

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

$27.0K ฿902.2K

$22.4K ₴999.3K

20.73%

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

$102 ฿3,420

$94.6 ₴4,224

8.30%

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

$11.33 ฿378

$6.99 ₴312

62.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿581

$6.72 ₴300

158.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,738

$46.38 ₴2,070

12.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿370

$22.12 ₴987

-49.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$3.66 ₴163

110.11%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$234 ₴10.5K

139.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿384.1K

$14.9K ₴662.9K

-22.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,104

$70.2 ₴3,135

-10.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿986

$30.86 ₴1,377

-4.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,272

$94.4 ₴4,216

3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,954

$119 ₴5,315

-25.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.6K

$558 ₴24.9K

32.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.1K

$309 ₴13.8K

56.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.3K

$1,021 ₴45.6K

106.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.9K

$839 ₴37.4K

46.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.7K

$1,665 ₴74.3K

117.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.9K

$1,369 ₴61.1K

90.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

$385 ₴17.2K

28.21%

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: September 15, 2026

Last update for Sumy: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $738 in Phuket and $558 in Sumy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 28% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $33.00 in Sumy. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $188, with Sumy 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 Sumy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sumy is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 28% 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: $738 in Phuket versus $558 in Sumy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $561 in Phuket versus $234 in Sumy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $972 in Sumy versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sumy but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sumy the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sumy 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 Sumy 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 Sumy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.