Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tomsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Tomsk: $1,147 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Tomsk
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Tomsk Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tomsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,147

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tomsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,147 in Tomsk.

Phuket $1,278
Tomsk $1,147

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,768 in Tomsk.

Phuket $2,216
Tomsk $1,768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,389 in Tomsk.

Phuket $3,154
Tomsk $2,389

Living in Phuket is roughly 11% more expensive than in Tomsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tomsk 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.05 ₽649

-44.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$30.48 ₽2,455

6.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.68 ₽538

31.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.21 ₽178

28.05%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.91 ₽73.0

-4.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.42 ₽33.62

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.17 ₽94.3

118.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.34 ₽269

10.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.23 ₽99.0

34.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.70 ₽56.5

108.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.99 ₽79.7

51.52%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.36 ₽109

53.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.20 ₽983

56.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.71 ₽379

-29.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.92 ₽799

9.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.73 ₽139

69.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.95 ₽157

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.23 ₽179

0.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.94 ₽237

-29.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.47 ₽37.55

221.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.36 ₽28.81

283.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.74 ₽140

-38.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.51 ₽40.72

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.79 ₽225

50.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.17 ₽497

204.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.92 ₽73.9

97.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.65 ₽133

72.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.45 ₽36.62

222.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$18.51 ₽1,490

206.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.42 ₽195

24.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.32 ₽26.00

218.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.27 ₽586

-49.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.83 ₽66.8

77.11%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$54.1K ₽4.4M

-50.50%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$41.8K ₽3.4M

-36.11%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$169 ₽13.6K

-42.99%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.39 ₽676

34.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$13.60 ₽1,095

23.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$39.40 ₽3,173

70.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.58 ₽1,335

-35.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.87 ₽393

54.00%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$252 ₽20.3K

88.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$122 ₽9,814

-48.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$74.6 ₽6,010

-61.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$176 ₽14.2K

-46.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$126 ₽10.1K

-31.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$511 ₽41.2K

40.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$332 ₽26.7K

48.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$828 ₽66.7K

132.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$651 ₽52.4K

119.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,096 ₽168.8K

99.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,534 ₽123.5K

98.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$930 ₽74.9K

-46.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-74.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tomsk: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tomsk

$332 28.9% 32.5% $159

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tomsk

$198 17.3% 25.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tomsk

$191 16.7% 53.5% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tomsk

$224 19.6% 84% $102

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tomsk

$129 11.2% 5.9% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tomsk

$49 4.3% 40.2% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tomsk

$24 2.1% 65.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $511 in Tomsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tomsk pays 85% 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 $30 in Tomsk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $198 per month, with Tomsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Tomsk

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

551,505

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.87 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tomsk 5,530 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tomsk

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 Tomsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tomsk is about 10% 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 46% 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 $511 in Tomsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $252 in Tomsk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Tomsk is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Tomsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.