Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yambol

For one person, living is cheaper in Yambol: $976 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Yambol
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$976
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yambol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $976 in Yambol.

  • Phuket $1,208
  • Yambol $976

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,538 in Yambol.

  • Phuket $2,027
  • Yambol $1,538

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,100 in Yambol.

  • Phuket $2,845
  • Yambol $2,100

Living in Phuket is roughly 24% more expensive than in Yambol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Yambol 28% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Yambol
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.40 ฿147
$11.17 BGN 19.44
-60.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.26 ฿1,078
$45.15 BGN 78.6
-28.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.76 ฿293
$9.98 BGN 17.37
-12.22%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿94.5
$2.14 BGN 3.73
32.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 ฿30.14
$1.80 BGN 3.14
-50.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ฿15.56
$1.28 BGN 2.23
-63.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 ฿85.2
$1.75 BGN 3.05
45.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$2.83 BGN 4.92
35.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Yambol
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 ฿57.7
$1.88 BGN 3.26
-7.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 ฿49.11
$1.24 BGN 2.16
18.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.6
$2.30 BGN 4.01
-34.35%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$3.50 BGN 6.09
-38.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.70 ฿658
$9.06 BGN 15.76
117.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.34 ฿112
$7.25 BGN 12.61
-53.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 ฿373
$5.79 BGN 10.08
92.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 ฿95.1
$1.47 BGN 2.56
93.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 ฿56.9
$1.91 BGN 3.33
-10.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.3
$1.66 BGN 2.90
31.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 ฿68.4
$1.61 BGN 2.81
27.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.45 ฿48.57
$1.29 BGN 2.25
12.40%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.16
$0.85 BGN 1.48
62.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.69
$1.06 BGN 1.84
0.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.91
$0.83 BGN 1.44
-38.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$3.92 BGN 6.82
8.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.58 ฿621
$4.71 BGN 8.20
294.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 ฿59.7
$1.18 BGN 2.06
50.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.2
$1.88 BGN 3.27
51.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Yambol
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.26 ฿75.6
$0.92 BGN 1.59
145.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.10 ฿738
$28.35 BGN 49.33
-22.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 ฿101
$1.60 BGN 2.79
88.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.34
$0.86 BGN 1.49
23.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.86 ฿129
$12.13 BGN 21.11
-68.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.45
$1.67 BGN 2.91
-13.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿879.9K
$30.4K BGN 52.9K
-13.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿900.4K
$24.8K BGN 43.2K
8.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Yambol
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,221
$112 BGN 196
-14.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.04 ฿369
$18.51 BGN 32.21
-40.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.14 ฿573
$16.28 BGN 28.33
5.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Yambol
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.2 ฿1,744
$27.12 BGN 47.19
92.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.16 ฿373
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.81 ฿261
$7.87 BGN 13.69
-0.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Yambol
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$556 ฿18.6K
$508 BGN 883
9.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K ฿387.0K
$6,223 BGN 10.8K
86.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Yambol
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.2 ฿2,146
$51.8 BGN 90.2
23.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.69 ฿959
$21.85 BGN 38.02
31.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.4 ฿3,187
$86.1 BGN 150
10.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.0 ฿2,940
$60.5 BGN 105
45.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Yambol
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$737 ฿24.6K
$357 BGN 622
106.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$462 ฿15.5K
$270 BGN 469
71.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,095 ฿70.0K
$549 BGN 955
281.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 ฿40.1K
$494 BGN 860
142.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,488 ฿116.6K
$1,295 BGN 2,253
169.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,523 ฿84.3K
$1,157 BGN 2,013
118.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Yambol
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.7K
$933 BGN 1,624
-46.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
2.82
97.52%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Yambol: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$462
Yambol
$270 41.7% $193
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$269
Yambol
$208 22.7% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
Yambol
$147 18.2% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Yambol
$99 20.2% $25
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Yambol
$172 41.7% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
Yambol
$43 36.8% $25
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Yambol
$38 3.9% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $357 in Yambol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yambol pays 86% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $45.00 in Yambol. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $208, with Yambol cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇧🇬 Yambol
🕒 Local time
20:19 8:19 PM
16:19 4:19 PM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
76,599
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Yambol 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Yambol

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 Yambol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yambol cheaper than Phuket?
Yambol is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Yambol?
On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Yambol. 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 Yambol?
Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $357 in Yambol. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $508 in Yambol. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Yambol?
Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Yambol?
At $976 in Yambol versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Yambol but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yambol the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Phuket or Yambol more family-friendly?
For families, Yambol is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Yambol?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Yambol are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Yambol gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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