Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Volgograd

For one person, living is cheaper in Volgograd: $892 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Volgograd, Russia
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Volgograd
🇷🇺 Russia
$892
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Volgograd

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $892 in Volgograd.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Volgograd $892

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,474 in Volgograd.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Volgograd $1,474

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,057 in Volgograd.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Volgograd $2,057

Living in Phuket is roughly 43% more expensive than in Volgograd, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Volgograd 34% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Volgograd
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$6.64 ₽535
-32.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$49.28 ₽3,974
-34.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$6.40 ₽516
37.66%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$2.84 ₽229
-0.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$0.96 ₽77.8
-9.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$0.60 ₽48.56
-18.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$1.21 ₽97.9
111.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$1.84 ₽148
100.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Volgograd
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.07 ₽86.4
55.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$0.61 ₽49.33
139.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$1.17 ₽94.3
28.21%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.44 ₽117
45.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$7.41 ₽597
157.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$4.77 ₽385
-30.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$11.62 ₽937
-6.11%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$1.24 ₽100
136.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$1.51 ₽122
11.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.53 ₽124
47.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$2.53 ₽204
-17.79%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.75 ₽60.1
101.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$0.48 ₽38.64
187.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$0.36 ₽28.89
197.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$0.63 ₽51.1
-17.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$2.93 ₽236
43.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$9.36 ₽755
100.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.12 ₽90.4
62.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.95 ₽157
45.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Volgograd
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$0.52 ₽41.54
178.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$16.64 ₽1,342
240.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$3.10 ₽250
19.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$0.89 ₽71.4
65.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$53.9K ₽4.3M
-50.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$41.4K ₽3.3M
-35.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Volgograd
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$88.3 ₽7,121
9.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$10.47 ₽844
7.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$8.00 ₽645
110.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Volgograd
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Volgograd
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Volgograd
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$113 ₽9,131
-44.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$74.2 ₽5,985
-61.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$54.7 ₽4,413
72.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$187 ₽15.1K
-54.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Volgograd
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$609 ₽49.1K
17.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$268 ₽21.6K
83.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$1,233 ₽99.4K
56.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$557 ₽45.0K
156.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$1,459 ₽117.7K
186.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$1,372 ₽110.7K
121.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Volgograd
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$615 ₽49.6K
-18.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
21.33
-73.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Volgograd: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Volgograd
$268 45.4% $223
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Volgograd
$183 31.4% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Volgograd
$107 14.2% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Volgograd
$193 58.6% $71
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Volgograd
$122 0.6% $0.8
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Volgograd
- * 100%
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Volgograd
$19 * 73.5% $52

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 $716 in Phuket and $609 in Volgograd. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Volgograd pays 22% 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 $49 in Volgograd. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $183, with Volgograd cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇷🇺 Volgograd
🕒 Local time
20:19 8:19 PM
16:19 4:19 PM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
1,004,763
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.65 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.76 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Volgograd 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Volgograd

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 Volgograd: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Volgograd cheaper than Phuket?
Volgograd is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and utilities. The 43% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Volgograd?
On paper, salaries run 18% 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Volgograd?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $609 in Volgograd. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Volgograd?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $49 in Volgograd. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Volgograd runs roughly 71% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Volgograd?
At $892 in Volgograd versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Volgograd but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Volgograd the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Volgograd?
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.

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