Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sumy and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sumy: $941 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Sumy, Ukraine
Phuket, Thailand
Sumy
🇺🇦 Ukraine
$941
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $941 in Sumy versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Sumy $941
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,610 in Sumy versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Sumy $1,610
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,279 in Sumy versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Sumy $2,279
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Sumy costs roughly 26% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sumy 31% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sumy
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.89 ₴497
$4.47 ฿151
143.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.99 ₴1,504
$32.41 ฿1,092
1.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.49 ₴341
$8.81 ฿297
-14.98%
Cappuccino
$1.80 ₴81.9
$2.83 ฿95.3
-36.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 ₴35.68
$0.87 ฿29.37
-10.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ₴24.32
$0.49 ฿16.64
8.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.33 ₴60.8
$2.56 ฿86.2
-48.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 ₴88.5
$3.68 ฿124
-47.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sumy
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.27 ₴58.1
$1.66 ฿55.9
-23.49%
White Bread (500g)
$0.84 ₴38.39
$1.46 ฿49.25
-42.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 ₴64.9
$1.50 ฿50.4
-5.33%
Eggs
$1.95 ₴88.7
$2.09 ฿70.4
-6.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.13 ₴462
$19.07 ฿642
-46.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.29 ₴241
$3.30 ฿111
60.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.46 ₴386
$10.91 ฿368
-22.46%
Apples (1kg)
$1.18 ₴53.8
$2.93 ฿98.7
-59.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 ₴68.7
$1.69 ฿56.9
-10.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.81 ₴82.4
$2.25 ฿75.7
-19.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.69 ₴123
$2.08 ฿70.0
29.33%
Potato (1kg)
$0.58 ₴26.58
$1.51 ฿50.9
-61.59%
Onion (1kg)
$0.44 ₴20.15
$1.38 ฿46.47
-68.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 ₴67.5
$1.07 ฿35.91
38.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₴26.94
$0.52 ฿17.49
13.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.85 ₴130
$4.20 ฿142
-32.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.47 ₴249
$18.79 ฿633
-70.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 ₴38.90
$1.82 ฿61.4
-53.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 ₴43.72
$2.84 ฿95.7
-66.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Sumy
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.32 ₴14.44
$1.45 ฿48.93
-77.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.23 ₴421
$56.7 ฿1,909
-83.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.20 ₴100
$3.02 ฿102
-27.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 ₴20.99
$1.02 ฿34.29
-54.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.20 ₴192
$3.69 ฿124
13.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 ₴71.6
$1.47 ฿49.70
6.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.6K ₴1.4M
$26.8K ฿902.4K
14.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K ₴1.1M
$26.7K ฿899.5K
-9.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sumy
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.1 ₴4,517
$96.4 ฿3,247
2.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.80 ₴310
$11.26 ฿380
-39.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.53 ₴298
$16.85 ฿568
-61.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sumy
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.27 ₴1,380
$67.2 ฿2,266
-54.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.95 ₴955
$10.73 ฿361
95.25%
Cinema Ticket
$3.60 ₴164
$7.50 ฿253
-52.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sumy
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$229 ₴10.4K
$476 ฿16.0K
-51.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.0K ₴683.7K
$11.3K ฿379.6K
33.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sumy
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.7 ₴3,267
$62.4 ฿2,102
14.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.39 ₴1,386
$28.41 ฿957
6.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.6 ₴4,313
$94.3 ฿3,178
0.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 ₴5,272
$85.8 ฿2,892
34.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sumy
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$544 ₴24.8K
$716 ฿24.1K
-24.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$303 ₴13.8K
$491 ฿16.5K
-38.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$992 ₴45.3K
$1,927 ฿64.9K
-48.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$822 ₴37.5K
$1,431 ฿48.2K
-42.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,081 ₴49.3K
$4,175 ฿140.7K
-74.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$845 ₴38.5K
$3,045 ฿102.6K
-72.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sumy
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$378 ₴17.2K
$502 ฿16.9K
-24.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15.9
5.57
185.46%

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

Last update for Sumy: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sumy
$303
Phuket
$491 62% $188
Groceries & Markets
Sumy
$185
Phuket
$266 43.7% $81
Eating Out
Sumy
$147
Phuket
$122 17.2% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Sumy
$141
Phuket
$122 13.2% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sumy
$112
Phuket
$124 10.7% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Sumy
$37
Phuket
$82 119% $45
Getting Around
Sumy
$15
Phuket
$71 371% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $544 in Sumy and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 33% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $33 in Sumy vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $185 vs $266, with Sumy cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇺🇦 Sumy
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
04:12 4:12 AM
09:12 9:12 AM
5 h ahead of Sumy
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
267,633
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to UAH – Ukrainian Hryvnia Converter

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 45.6 UAH (100 UAH = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 50.76 UAH (100 UAH = 1.97 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sumy Phuket 7,490 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sumy
  • 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
Sumy vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sumy cheaper than Phuket?
Sumy is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Sumy or Phuket?
On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Sumy. 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 Sumy and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $544 in Sumy versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $229 in Sumy versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Sumy and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $800 enough to cover costs in Sumy or in Phuket?
Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Sumy is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is it better to live in Sumy or in Phuket?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Sumy wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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