Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Varamin

For one person, living is cheaper in Varamin: $581 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Varamin
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Varamin Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Varamin

🇮🇷 Iran

$581

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Varamin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $581 in Varamin.

Phuket $1,278
Varamin $581

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $889 in Varamin.

Phuket $2,216
Varamin $889

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,198 in Varamin.

Phuket $3,154
Varamin $1,198

Living in Phuket is roughly 120% more expensive than in Varamin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Varamin 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.45 $3.45

29.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.31 $16.31

98.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.04 $4.04

118.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.67 $0.67

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.31 $1.31

116.03%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.53 $0.53

64.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.65 $1.65

-70.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.66 $0.66

151.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.57 $0.57

156.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.31 $3.31

-54.68%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.29 $1.29

62.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.33 $4.33

340.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.27 $3.27

0.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.26 $10.26

6.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.39 $1.39

110.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.85 $1.85

-8.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.18 $1.18

90.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.63 $0.63

230.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.56 $0.56

169.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.48 $0.48

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.58 $0.58

84.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.30 $0.30

73.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.78 $0.78

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.46 $2.46

70.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.17 $0.17

752.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$10.65 $10.65

432.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.52 $0.52

480.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.29 $0.29

251.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.04 $3.04

21.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.10 $0.10

1370.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$50.8K $50.8K

-47.34%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$45.6K $45.6K

-41.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$12.97 $12.97

642.87%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$1.58 $1.58

612.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$4.00 $4.00

321.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$18.84 $18.84

256.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.58 $14.58

-26.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.94 $1.94

286.60%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$110 $110

333.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$2,560 $2,560

339.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$26.76 $26.76

133.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$37.37 $37.37

-23.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$116 $116

-18.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$72.5 $72.5

18.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$318 $318

124.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$223 $223

119.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$813 $813

137.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$326 $326

339.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,188 $1,188

251.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$546 $546

457.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

24.79

-77.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Varamin: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Varamin

$223 38.5% 54.5% $267

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Varamin

$125 21.6% 52.9% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Varamin

$19 3.2% 85.1% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Varamin

$114 19.6% 6.8% $8.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Varamin

$64 11% 47.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Varamin

$23 3.9% 72.4% $60

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Varamin

$13 2.3% 81.2% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $318 in Varamin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Varamin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $125 per month, with Varamin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇷 Varamin

🕒 Local time

13:08 1:08 PM

09:38 9:38 AM

3 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

225,628

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

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

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Varamin 5,640 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Varamin

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 Varamin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varamin is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $871 in Varamin 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $318 in Varamin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $110 in Varamin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 113% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $581 in Varamin versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Varamin but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Varamin 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 Varamin are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Varamin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.