Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samara and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Samara: $765 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Samara
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Samara Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Samara

🇷🇺 Russia

$765

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samara and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Samara and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $765 in Samara versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Samara $765
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,253 in Samara versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Samara $1,253
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,741 in Samara versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Samara $1,741
Phuket $2,845

Living in Samara costs roughly 37% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Samara 44% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.57 ₽716

$4.40 ฿147

94.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.02 ₽3,591

$32.26 ฿1,078

33.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 ₽435

$8.76 ฿293

-40.53%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ₽192

$2.83 ฿94.5

-18.73%

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

$1.14 ₽94.9

$0.90 ฿30.14

26.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₽43.42

$0.47 ฿15.56

10.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₽148

$2.55 ฿85.2

-30.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ₽248

$3.83 ฿128

-22.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₽104

$1.73 ฿57.7

-28.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 ₽87.7

$1.47 ฿49.11

-28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ₽135

$1.51 ฿50.6

7.28%

Eggs

$1.53 ₽128

$2.17 ฿72.7

-29.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 ₽1,013

$19.70 ฿658

-38.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.07 ₽590

$3.34 ฿112

111.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.47 ₽624

$11.16 ฿373

-33.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 ₽254

$2.85 ฿95.1

6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 ₽147

$1.70 ฿56.9

3.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 ₽337

$2.05 ฿68.4

97.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ₽68.9

$1.45 ฿48.57

-42.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.38 ₽31.46

$1.38 ฿46.16

-72.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₽46.44

$0.51 ฿16.91

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 ₽210

$4.26 ฿142

-41.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ₽89.5

$1.78 ฿59.7

-39.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₽38.41

$2.26 ฿75.6

-79.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 ₽309

$3.01 ฿101

22.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ₽308

$3.86 ฿129

-4.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 ₽72.9

$1.45 ฿48.45

-40.00%

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

$51.7K ₽4.3M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

96.50%

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

$41.2K ₽3.4M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

52.83%

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

$140 ₽11.7K

$96.4 ฿3,221

45.55%

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

$4.73 ₽395

$11.04 ฿369

-57.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.93 ₽1,163

$17.14 ฿573

-18.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 ₽3,511

$52.2 ฿1,744

-19.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 ₽1,832

$11.16 ฿373

96.68%

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 ₽997

$7.81 ฿261

53.01%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$146 ₽12.1K

$64.2 ฿2,146

126.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.9 ₽6,587

$28.69 ฿959

175.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$158 ₽13.2K

$95.4 ฿3,187

65.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 ₽7,176

$88.0 ฿2,940

-2.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,443 ₽203.9K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-29.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,601 ₽133.6K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-36.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

25.03

5.57

349.37%

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

Last update for Samara: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

Samara

$211 27.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 41% $86

Groceries & Markets

Samara

$191 * 25%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 40.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samara

$159 20.8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 21.6% $34

Eating Out

Samara

$133 17.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Samara

$66 8.6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2.8% $1.8

Getting Around

Samara

$5.5 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 612% $34

Accommodation & Living

Samara

- * 0%

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43.00 in Samara vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $191 vs $269, with Samara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Samara

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

3 h ahead of Samara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,163,645

79,308

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.2 USD

100 RUB = 1.07 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 83.46 RUB (100 RUB = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 93.83 RUB (100 RUB = 1.07 EUR).

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).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Samara Phuket 6,630 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Samara
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Samara vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,148 in Samara and $1,813 in Phuket 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Samara – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $765 in Samara versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Samara but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Samara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Samara 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.

Safety-wise, Samara and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Samara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.