Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Svishtov

For one person, living is cheaper in Svishtov: $928 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Svishtov, Bulgaria
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Svishtov
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$928
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Svishtov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $928 in Svishtov.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Svishtov $928

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,445 in Svishtov.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Svishtov $1,445

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,961 in Svishtov.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Svishtov $1,961

Living in Phuket is roughly 39% more expensive than in Svishtov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Svishtov 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Svishtov
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿148
$13.26 BGN 23.20
-66.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,086
$43.92 BGN 76.9
-26.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿293
$8.35 BGN 14.61
4.19%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.6
$2.32 BGN 4.06
17.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.28
$1.06 BGN 1.85
-12.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.79
$0.56 BGN 0.98
-10.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.1
$1.74 BGN 3.05
45.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$2.79 BGN 4.88
30.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Svishtov
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.5
$1.45 BGN 2.54
20.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.77
$0.88 BGN 1.54
64.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.67 BGN 2.93
-10.18%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.0
$2.67 BGN 4.68
-18.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿642
$9.66 BGN 16.91
97.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$5.23 BGN 9.14
-34.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿366
$8.81 BGN 15.42
23.72%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.9
$1.46 BGN 2.56
101.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$1.12 BGN 1.95
50.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.8
$1.11 BGN 1.95
97.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.4
$2.26 BGN 3.96
-6.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿49.03
$0.71 BGN 1.25
105.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.99
$0.48 BGN 0.84
185.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.17
$0.55 BGN 0.96
96.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.34
$0.60 BGN 1.05
-8.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$3.52 BGN 6.15
25.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿614
$6.82 BGN 11.94
167.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.6
$1.04 BGN 1.81
70.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.8
$1.11 BGN 1.94
159.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Svishtov
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.66
$0.87 BGN 1.53
66.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,845
$25.60 BGN 44.79
114.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$1.41 BGN 2.46
7.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.08
$0.66 BGN 1.16
18.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$11.89 BGN 20.82
-67.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿50.0
$1.43 BGN 2.50
4.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿903.7K
$29.6K BGN 51.9K
-9.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿885.7K
$23.3K BGN 40.8K
13.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Svishtov
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,288
$103 BGN 180
-4.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿380
$14.16 BGN 24.78
-20.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿578
$8.59 BGN 15.04
100.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Svishtov
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,297
$31.36 BGN 54.9
117.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿367
$16.61 BGN 29.08
-34.26%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$8.37 BGN 14.64
-11.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Svishtov
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.8K
$228 BGN 400
132.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿631.4K
$5,922 BGN 10.4K
217.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Svishtov
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,073
$50.9 BGN 89.2
21.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿950
$25.39 BGN 44.43
11.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,228
$70.2 BGN 123
36.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,919
$69.2 BGN 121
25.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Svishtov
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.2K
$333 BGN 583
116.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.1K
$258 BGN 451
97.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.6K
$541 BGN 947
260.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿47.0K
$401 BGN 702
248.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿140.9K
$1,308 BGN 2,289
220.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.9K
$1,079 BGN 1,888
205.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Svishtov
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.5K
$1,261 BGN 2,207
-61.03%
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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Svishtov: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Svishtov
$258 49.3% $251
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Svishtov
$186 30.5% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Svishtov
$126 0.5% $0.7
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Svishtov
$97 20.9% $26
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Svishtov
$180 50.3% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Svishtov
$48 42.2% $35
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Svishtov
$34 48.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $333 in Svishtov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Svishtov pays about 2.6 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 $44 in Svishtov. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $186, with Svishtov cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇧🇬 Svishtov
🕒 Local time
20:42 8:42 PM
15:42 3:42 PM
5 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
33,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Svishtov 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Svishtov

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 Svishtov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Svishtov cheaper than Phuket?
Svishtov is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Svishtov?
On paper, salaries run 61% 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Svishtov?
Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $333 in Svishtov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $228 in Svishtov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Svishtov?
Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Svishtov?
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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Svishtov?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Svishtov are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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