Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tartus

For one person, living is cheaper in Tartus: $635 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tartus
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Tartus Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Tartus

🇸🇾 Syria

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tartus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $635 in Tartus.

Phuket $1,294
Tartus $635

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $988 in Tartus.

Phuket $2,204
Tartus $988

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,340 in Tartus.

Phuket $3,115
Tartus $1,340

Living in Phuket is roughly 104% more expensive than in Tartus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Tartus 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$10.13 SYP 1,231

-56.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$41.75 SYP 5,072

-22.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$6.80 SYP 827

27.94%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$3.79 SYP 461

-28.23%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$2.22 SYP 269

-58.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.83 SYP 101

-39.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$1.94 SYP 236

30.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.09 SYP 497

-11.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$0.44 SYP 53.9

295.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.44 SYP 53.9

229.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.74 SYP 90.3

102.70%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$0.81 SYP 98.8

167.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$3.95 SYP 480

383.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.05 SYP 370

11.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$13.97 SYP 1,698

-21.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$1.04 SYP 126

182.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.37 SYP 166

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.15 SYP 140

90.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$0.22 SYP 26.66

863.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$0.22 SYP 26.73

563.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$0.29 SYP 35.82

372.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.43 SYP 52.7

151.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.61 SYP 74.7

-9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.65 SYP 322

67.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$4.93 SYP 599

270.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.15 SYP 140

53.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.86 SYP 347

0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.33 SYP 39.53

339.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$1.01 SYP 123

49.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$1.49 SYP 182

-47.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.85 SYP 954

-51.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$3.67 SYP 446

-59.40%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

78.19%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$19.1K SYP 2.3M

37.76%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$139 SYP 16.9K

-29.88%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$9.52 SYP 1,157

18.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$20.33 SYP 2,470

-15.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$5.64 SYP 685

1111.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.47 SYP 664

35.83%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$9.54 SYP 1,160

5460.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$1,756 SYP 213.3K

969.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$11.34 SYP 1,378

443.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$40.40 SYP 4,909

-30.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$46.48 SYP 5,648

106.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$15.39 SYP 1,870

464.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$117 SYP 14.2K

517.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$76.7 SYP 9,319

563.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$232 SYP 28.2K

739.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$113 SYP 13.8K

1131.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$49.39 SYP 6,001

895.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.25

-60.91%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tartus: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Tartus

$77 12.1% 84.9% $432

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Tartus

$135 21.2% 49.5% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Tartus

$169 26.7% 34.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Tartus

$51 8.1% 58.3% $72

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Tartus

$177 27.9% 48.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Tartus

$17 2.6% 80.1% $67

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Tartus

$9.8 * 1.5% 85.2% $56

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 $117 in Tartus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $42 in Tartus. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $135, with Tartus cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇾 Tartus

🕒 Local time

16:06 4:06 PM

12:06 12:06 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

115,769

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tartus 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tartus

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 Tartus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tartus is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 10 times higher, 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: $721 in Phuket versus $117 in Tartus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $9.54 in Tartus. 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 $42 in Tartus. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $635 in Tartus versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tartus but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tartus 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.

It comes down to priorities – Tartus wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.