Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yoshkar-Ola

For one person, living is cheaper in Yoshkar-Ola: $989 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Yoshkar-Ola
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Yoshkar-Ola Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Yoshkar-Ola

🇷🇺 Russia

$989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yoshkar-Ola

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 Yoshkar-Ola actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $989 in Yoshkar-Ola.

Phuket $1,278
Yoshkar-Ola $989

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,609 in Yoshkar-Ola.

Phuket $2,216
Yoshkar-Ola $1,609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,229 in Yoshkar-Ola.

Phuket $3,154
Yoshkar-Ola $2,229

Living in Phuket is roughly 29% more expensive than in Yoshkar-Ola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yoshkar-Ola 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$6.07 ₽486

-26.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$55.1 ₽4,409

-41.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.83 ₽386

82.40%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.72 ₽137

64.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.79 ₽63.0

10.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.27 ₽21.54

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$0.88 ₽70.0

190.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.67 ₽134

120.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.75 ₽60.2

121.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.75 ₽59.9

94.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.41 ₽113

6.38%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.60 ₽128

30.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.01 ₽960

58.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.98 ₽398

-33.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.58 ₽1,086

-19.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.77 ₽142

65.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.70 ₽136

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.77 ₽141

27.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.61 ₽288

-42.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.73 ₽58.6

106.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.59 ₽47.48

133.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.35 ₽108

-20.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.74 ₽59.5

-29.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.28 ₽262

28.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$8.40 ₽672

123.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.13 ₽90.2

61.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.51 ₽201

13.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.48 ₽38.23

202.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$28.74 ₽2,299

97.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.42 ₽114

112.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.41 ₽32.89

148.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$7.29 ₽583

-49.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.87 ₽69.3

68.97%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$54.7K ₽4.4M

-51.02%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$39.8K ₽3.2M

-32.91%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$97.1 ₽7,766

-0.76%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.00 ₽560

60.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$8.77 ₽702

92.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$33.19 ₽2,655

102.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$23.24 ₽1,859

-53.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.34 ₽587

2.18%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$316 ₽25.3K

50.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$7,210 ₽576.7K

56.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$77.7 ₽6,216

-19.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$56.5 ₽4,518

-49.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$136 ₽10.9K

-30.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$84.3 ₽6,738

1.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$482 ₽38.6K

48.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$321 ₽25.7K

52.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$921 ₽73.6K

109.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$592 ₽47.3K

141.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,472 ₽197.7K

68.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,396 ₽111.6K

118.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

20.29

-72.55%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yoshkar-Ola: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Yoshkar-Ola

$321 32.5% 34.5% $170

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Yoshkar-Ola

$218 22% 18.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Yoshkar-Ola

$113 11.4% 9.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yoshkar-Ola

$159 16.1% 30.8% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yoshkar-Ola

$96 9.7% 21.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Yoshkar-Ola

$48 4.8% 41.8% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Yoshkar-Ola

$34 3.5% 51.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $482 in Yoshkar-Ola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $55 in Yoshkar-Ola. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $218, with Yoshkar-Ola cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇺 Yoshkar-Ola

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

276,155

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 RUB = 1.25 USD

100 RUB = 1.12 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 79.99 RUB (100 RUB = 1.25 USD). 1 EUR = 89.04 RUB (100 RUB = 1.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Yoshkar-Ola 6,950 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Yoshkar-Ola

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 Yoshkar-Ola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yoshkar-Ola is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,484 in Yoshkar-Ola 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 $482 in Yoshkar-Ola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $316 in Yoshkar-Ola. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Yoshkar-Ola are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.