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: $1,223 in Phuket versus $723 in Sumy.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,237 in Phuket versus $1,069 in Sumy.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,251 in Phuket versus $1,416 in Sumy.

Living in Phuket is roughly 69% more expensive than Sumy, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Sumy 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 ฿147

$7.13 ₴320

-36.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.62 ฿1,515

$14.33 ₴642

225.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.49 ฿276

$6.00 ₴269

41.50%

Cappuccino

$3.08 ฿100

$1.00 ₴44.91

208.00%

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

$0.68 ฿22.07

$0.62 ₴27.97

9.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿11.75

$0.46 ₴20.48

-21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿78.8

$0.87 ₴38.81

179.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿118

$1.11 ₴49.82

227.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ฿71.1

$1.05 ₴47.14

108.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿59.0

$0.76 ₴34.22

138.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ฿72.5

$1.80 ₴80.7

23.89%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿72.7

$2.06 ₴92.3

8.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.60 ฿637

$9.99 ₴448

96.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.72 ฿121

$4.51 ₴202

-17.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 ฿438

$7.76 ₴348

73.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 ฿109

$0.97 ₴43.57

246.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿52.5

$1.47 ₴66.1

10.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.3

$1.77 ₴79.3

36.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ฿64.6

$2.27 ₴102

-12.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.76

$0.50 ₴22.31

206.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 ฿47.19

$0.59 ₴26.46

145.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿32.96

$1.39 ₴62.5

-27.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.73

$0.54 ₴24.31

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿139

$2.84 ₴127

50.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.12 ฿621

$5.61 ₴251

240.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿59.7

$0.88 ₴39.50

109.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ฿89.1

$1.60 ₴71.5

71.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿46.06

$0.35 ₴15.49

305.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.72 ฿381

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ฿97.6

$2.11 ₴94.6

42.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 ฿34.00

$0.38 ₴16.88

176.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.90 ฿452

$4.29 ₴192

224.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿41.94

$1.31 ₴58.6

-1.53%

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

$28.0K ฿911.1K

$30.7K ₴1.4M

-8.54%

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

$33.5K ฿1.1M

$24.7K ₴1.1M

35.72%

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

$122 ฿3,964

$108 ₴4,856

12.58%

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

$13.93 ฿453

$5.67 ₴254

145.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.87 ฿613

$7.06 ₴316

167.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 ฿1,992

$28.69 ₴1,286

113.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿547

$6.17 ₴277

172.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ฿289

$2.85 ₴128

211.93%

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

$691 ฿22.5K

$375 ₴16.8K

84.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K ฿525.2K

$7,887 ₴353.5K

104.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,878

$48.71 ₴2,183

18.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.39 ฿1,150

$36.02 ₴1,614

-1.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,685

$100 ₴4,502

12.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 ฿2,698

$114 ₴5,117

-27.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$607 ฿19.7K

$228 ₴10.2K

166.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 ฿14.6K

$147 ₴6,590

204.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 ฿66.0K

$347 ₴15.6K

484.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 ฿48.5K

$213 ₴9,556

600.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,585 ฿116.5K

$889 ₴39.8K

303.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,585 ฿84.0K

$536 ₴24.0K

382.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ฿16.4K

$400 ₴17.9K

26.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

-55.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 13, 2026

Last update for Sumy: June 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $607 in Phuket and $228 in Sumy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 26% 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: $47.00 in Phuket vs $14.00 in Sumy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $175 per month, with Sumy cheaper across the board.

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, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Phuket pays 26% more on average, 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: $607 in Phuket versus $228 in Sumy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Phuket versus $375 in Sumy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sumy – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $723 in Sumy versus $1,223 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 69% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.