Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tambov

For one person, living is cheaper in Tambov: $746 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Tambov
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Tambov Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tambov

🇷🇺 Russia

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tambov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $746 in Tambov.

Phuket $1,278
Tambov $746

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,393 in Tambov.

Phuket $2,216
Tambov $1,393

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,040 in Tambov.

Phuket $3,154
Tambov $2,040

Living in Phuket is roughly 71% more expensive than in Tambov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tambov 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.27 ₽988

-63.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$37.64 ₽3,031

-13.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.53 ₽606

17.00%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.20 ₽177

28.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.95 ₽76.7

-8.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.45 ₽36.13

8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.49 ₽201

2.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.40 ₽354

-16.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.27 ₽102

30.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.97 ₽78.5

50.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.83 ₽148

-18.03%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.28 ₽103

63.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.32 ₽912

68.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.57 ₽368

-27.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.88 ₽796

10.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.34 ₽108

118.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.88 ₽151

-10.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.03 ₽163

10.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.04 ₽245

-31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.76 ₽61.5

98.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.65 ₽52.0

112.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.53 ₽42.88

101.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.92 ₽73.9

-43.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.23 ₽179

88.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.27 ₽746

102.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.95 ₽76.8

91.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.89 ₽153

50.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.39 ₽31.15

271.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.62 ₽291

-16.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.20 ₽16.09

410.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.56 ₽528

-43.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.87 ₽69.9

68.97%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$36.7K ₽3.0M

-27.13%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$28.7K ₽2.3M

-6.85%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$85.7 ₽6,901

12.44%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.70 ₽378

139.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$7.56 ₽609

122.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$24.93 ₽2,008

169.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.02 ₽404

113.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.25 ₽342

76.47%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$867 ₽69.8K

-45.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$6,299 ₽507.3K

78.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$36.82 ₽2,965

69.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$30.35 ₽2,445

-6.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$43.12 ₽3,473

118.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$49.71 ₽4,003

72.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$277 ₽22.3K

158.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$156 ₽12.6K

213.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$946 ₽76.2K

103.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$674 ₽54.3K

112.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,677 ₽135.0K

149.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,297 ₽104.4K

134.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$731 ₽58.9K

-31.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-78.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tambov: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tambov

$156 21% 68.1% $334

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tambov

$206 27.6% 22.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tambov

$98 13.1% 21.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tambov

$72 9.7% 40.9% $50

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tambov

$174 23.3% 43% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tambov

$33 4.5% 59.4% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tambov

$6.2 * 0.8% 91.3% $64

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 $716 in Phuket and $277 in Tambov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tambov pays 46% 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 $38 in Tambov. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $206, with Tambov cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Tambov

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

21:22 9:22 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

293,661

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tambov 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tambov

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 Tambov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tambov is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $277 in Tambov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $867 in Tambov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $38 in Tambov. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Tambov are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.