Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tula

For one person, living is cheaper in Tula: $959 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Tula
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Tula Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tula

🇷🇺 Russia

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $959 in Tula.

Phuket $1,278
Tula $959

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,569 in Tula.

Phuket $2,216
Tula $1,569

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,179 in Tula.

Phuket $3,154
Tula $2,179

Living in Phuket is roughly 33% more expensive than in Tula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tula 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.58 ₽1,013

-64.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$61.4 ₽4,943

-47.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.60 ₽612

15.92%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.84 ₽310

-26.30%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.71 ₽138

-49.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.85 ₽68.8

-42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.02 ₽404

-49.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.37 ₽433

-31.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.31 ₽105

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.09 ₽87.8

33.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.78 ₽143

-15.73%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.95 ₽157

7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$15.21 ₽1,225

25.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.03 ₽566

-53.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.32 ₽993

-11.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.11 ₽170

38.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.94 ₽156

-12.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.05 ₽165

9.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.18 ₽337

-50.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.00 ₽80.4

51.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.72 ₽58.2

91.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.63 ₽131

-34.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.96 ₽77.0

-45.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.75 ₽302

12.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.31 ₽992

52.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.23 ₽99.0

47.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.62 ₽211

8.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.55 ₽43.93

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$22.52 ₽1,814

151.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.83 ₽147

65.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.86 ₽69.3

18.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$12.13 ₽977

-69.58%

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

$44.0K ₽3.5M

-39.09%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$39.8K ₽3.2M

-32.91%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$169 ₽13.6K

-43.15%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.14 ₽736

23.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$9.96 ₽802

69.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.85 ₽794

-23.86%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$868 ₽69.9K

-45.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$29.6K ₽2.4M

-61.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$115 ₽9,254

-45.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$69.9 ₽5,631

-59.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$155 ₽12.5K

-39.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$188 ₽15.2K

-54.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

19.58

-71.55%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tula: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tula

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tula

$266 27.8% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tula

$189 19.7% 51.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tula

$238 24.8% 94.9% $116

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tula

$216 22.5% 77.2% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tula

$20 * 2.1% 76% $63

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tula

$31 3.2% 56.3% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $61 in Tula for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Tula

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

02:09 2:09 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

475,161

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tula 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tula

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 Tula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tula is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,438 in Tula to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $868 in Tula. 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 $61 in Tula. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Tula 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 Tula are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.