Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Turku

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,877 in Turku, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
90

Cost of Living Index in Turku
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Turku Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Turku

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Turku

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,877 in Turku.

Phuket $1,278
Turku $1,877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,981 in Turku.

Phuket $2,216
Turku $2,981

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,085 in Turku.

Phuket $3,154
Turku $4,085

Living in Phuket costs roughly 32% less than in Turku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Turku is 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.29 €14.60

-72.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$101 €90.5

-67.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.34 €11.06

-28.61%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.68 €4.19

-39.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.79 €2.50

-68.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.89 €1.70

-74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$9.42 €8.44

-72.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$9.60 €8.60

-61.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.56 €1.40

6.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.47 €2.21

-40.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.68 €2.41

-44.03%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.70 €3.32

-43.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.78 €6.97

145.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$14.64 €13.12

-77.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.82 €16.87

-42.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.79 €2.50

5.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.23 €2.00

-24.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.28 €2.04

-1.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.35 €3.90

-52.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.47 €1.32

2.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.60 €1.43

-13.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.96 €1.75

-45.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.82 €1.63

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$13.15 €11.78

-68.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.33 €13.74

22.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.78 €3.39

-51.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.68 €3.30

-22.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$3.61 €3.23

-59.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$63.9 €57.2

-11.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$8.35 €7.49

-63.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.53 €1.37

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$65.7 €58.9

-94.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$2.37 €2.13

-37.97%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$37.0K €33.1K

-27.57%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$37.9K €34.0K

-29.65%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$135 €121

-28.48%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.01 €26.00

-61.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$21.79 €19.53

-22.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$43.29 €38.79

55.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$28.99 €25.98

-62.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$20.86 €18.69

-64.05%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$467 €418

2.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$7,398 €6,629

52.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$95.5 €85.6

-34.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$43.99 €39.42

-35.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$102 €91.1

-7.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$111 €99.6

-22.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$857 €768

-16.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$674 €604

-27.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,477 €1,323

30.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,167 €1,046

22.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,175 €3,741

0.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,810 €2,518

8.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,667 €2,390

-81.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.94

41.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Turku: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Turku

$674 35.9% 37.3% $183

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Turku

$371 19.8% 39.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Turku

$186 9.9% 49% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Turku

$159 8.5% 30.1% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Turku

$308 16.4% 154% $187

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Turku

$85 4.5% 3.4% $2.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Turku

$94 5% 33.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $857 in Turku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Turku pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $101 in Turku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $371 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇫🇮 Turku

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

201,889

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Turku 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Turku

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 Turku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 81% 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 $857 in Turku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $467 in Turku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Turku. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,877 in Turku, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Turku. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 Turku are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Turku. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.