Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Side and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,144 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,144

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Side 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 Side and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,144 in Side versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Side $1,144
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,790 in Side versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Side $1,790
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,435 in Side versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Side $2,435
Phuket $3,154

Living in Side costs roughly 10% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Side 16% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.26 ₺511

$4.47 ฿151

129.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.76 ₺1,483

$32.41 ฿1,094

-8.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 ₺471

$8.81 ฿297

7.26%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ₺171

$2.83 ฿95.5

21.55%

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

$2.19 ₺109

$0.87 ฿29.43

151.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₺19.48

$0.49 ฿16.67

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 ₺200

$2.56 ฿86.4

56.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 ₺303

$3.68 ฿124

64.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ₺53.1

$1.66 ฿56.0

-35.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ₺48.33

$1.46 ฿49.35

-33.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 ₺130

$1.50 ฿50.6

74.00%

Eggs

$2.29 ₺114

$2.09 ฿70.5

9.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.70 ₺683

$19.07 ฿644

-28.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 ₺307

$3.30 ฿111

86.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.79 ₺1,335

$10.91 ฿368

145.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₺78.2

$2.93 ฿99.0

-46.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 ₺123

$1.69 ฿57.1

45.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 ₺69.1

$2.25 ฿75.8

-38.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₺63.5

$2.08 ฿70.1

-38.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ₺39.51

$1.51 ฿51.0

-47.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ₺35.38

$1.38 ฿46.56

-48.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 ₺87.0

$1.07 ฿35.99

62.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.63

$0.52 ฿17.52

46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 ₺139

$4.20 ฿142

-33.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.85 ₺690

$18.79 ฿634

-26.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₺84.1

$1.82 ฿61.5

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₺156

$2.84 ฿95.9

10.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ₺34.55

$1.45 ฿49.03

-52.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ₺61.7

$3.02 ฿102

-58.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ₺49.64

$1.02 ฿34.36

-1.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.69 ₺333

$3.69 ฿125

81.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₺75.2

$1.47 ฿49.81

2.72%

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

$42.1K ₺2.1M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

57.21%

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

$38.2K ₺1.9M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

43.30%

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

$76.7 ₺3,824

$96.4 ฿3,254

-20.37%

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

$10.57 ₺527

$11.26 ฿380

-6.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.12 ₺1,152

$16.85 ฿569

37.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ₺2,632

$67.2 ฿2,270

-21.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$8.06 ₺402

$7.50 ฿253

7.47%

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

$507 ₺25.3K

$476 ฿16.1K

6.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₺544.1K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-3.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.20 ₺2,302

$62.4 ฿2,106

-25.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.9 ₺2,937

$28.41 ฿959

107.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 ₺7,812

$94.3 ฿3,184

66.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ₺5,842

$85.8 ฿2,898

36.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 ₺20.9K

$716 ฿24.2K

-41.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₺15.1K

$491 ฿16.6K

-38.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₺37.9K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-60.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 ₺28.5K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-59.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,431 ₺71.3K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-65.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,018 ₺50.7K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-66.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

38.25

5.57

586.71%

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

Last update for Side: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Side

$302 26.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 62.4% $189

Groceries & Markets

Side

$289 25.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 7.9% $23

Eating Out

Side

$194 17%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 37.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Side

$171 14.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 28.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Side

$110 9.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 12.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Side

$69 6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 19.3% $13

Getting Around

Side

$9 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 685% $62

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 $420 in Side and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $30 in Side vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Side

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

00:39 12:39 AM

4 h ahead of Side

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

79,308

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Side Phuket 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Side
Phuket

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

Side vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Side is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,717 in Side and $1,917 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $420 in Side versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $507 in Side versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Side – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Side gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Side 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.