Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Targovishte

For one person, living is cheaper in Targovishte: $559 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Targovishte
Learn more

Targovishte Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Targovishte

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Targovishte

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $559 in Targovishte.

Phuket $1,294
Targovishte $559

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,135 in Targovishte.

Phuket $2,204
Targovishte $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,711 in Targovishte.

Phuket $3,115
Targovishte $1,711

Living in Phuket is roughly 132% more expensive than in Targovishte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Targovishte 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$6.96 BGN 12.18

-36.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$39.99 BGN 70.0

-19.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$6.48 BGN 11.35

34.26%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$1.52 BGN 2.67

78.95%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.05 BGN 1.83

-11.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.62 BGN 1.08

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$0.95 BGN 1.67

166.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.52 BGN 7.91

-19.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.55 BGN 2.70

12.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$0.71 BGN 1.25

104.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.15 BGN 3.77

-30.23%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.68 BGN 4.68

-19.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$8.38 BGN 14.66

127.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.75 BGN 10.06

-40.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$8.48 BGN 14.84

28.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.70 BGN 2.97

72.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.73 BGN 3.02

26.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$2.59 BGN 4.53

-18.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.10 BGN 1.92

32.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.07 BGN 1.87

28.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.93 BGN 1.63

16.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.55 BGN 0.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.43 BGN 6.00

29.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$5.99 BGN 10.48

204.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$0.71 BGN 1.25

149.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.01 BGN 1.76

185.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.48 BGN 0.83

202.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.16 BGN 2.03

30.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.56 BGN 0.98

39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$10.62 BGN 18.58

-63.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.72 BGN 3.01

-13.37%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$30.2K BGN 52.8K

-10.99%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$20.3K BGN 35.6K

29.55%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$56.7 BGN 99.3

72.44%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$8.51 BGN 14.90

32.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$12.69 BGN 22.20

35.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$16.84 BGN 29.47

305.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$22.88 BGN 40.04

-52.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.86 BGN 10.26

26.79%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$597 BGN 1,045

-11.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$10.8K BGN 18.9K

73.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$69.0 BGN 121

-10.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$41.63 BGN 72.9

-32.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$91.1 BGN 159

5.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$106 BGN 185

-17.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$145 BGN 253

398.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$374 BGN 654

422.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$337 BGN 590

314.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$1,364 BGN 2,388

207.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,146 BGN 2,006

187.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$1,275 BGN 2,231

-61.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.1

79.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Targovishte: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Targovishte

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Targovishte

$194 34.7% 27.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Targovishte

$78 14% 38.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Targovishte

$138 24.8% 12.7% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Targovishte

$114 20.4% 4.8% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Targovishte

$29 5.1% 65.7% $55

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Targovishte

$5.9 * 1.1% 91.1% $60

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 $721 in Phuket and $145 in Targovishte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Targovishte 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 $40 in Targovishte. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $194, with Targovishte cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇬 Targovishte

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

39,578

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Targovishte 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Targovishte

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 Targovishte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Targovishte is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $145 in Targovishte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $597 in Targovishte. 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 $40 in Targovishte. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $559 in Targovishte versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Targovishte but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Targovishte the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Targovishte are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.