Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tehran and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tehran: $629 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$629

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $629 in Tehran versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Tehran $629
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,066 in Tehran versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Tehran $1,066
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,503 in Tehran versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Tehran $1,503
Phuket $3,154

Living in Tehran costs roughly 51% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tehran 54% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 $3.45

$4.47 ฿151

-22.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.28 $16.28

$32.41 ฿1,094

-49.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 $4.09

$8.81 ฿297

-53.58%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 $0.72

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

Cappuccino

$1.32 $1.32

$2.83 ฿95.5

-53.36%

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

$0.53 $0.53

$0.87 ฿29.43

-39.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.49 ฿16.67

251.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.66 ฿56.0

-57.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.46 ฿49.35

-57.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.50 ฿50.6

122.67%

Eggs

$1.26 $1.26

$2.09 ฿70.5

-39.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$19.07 ฿644

-76.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.30 ฿111

1.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 $10.13

$10.91 ฿368

-7.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.93 ฿99.0

-52.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.69 ฿57.1

10.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$2.25 ฿75.8

-49.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 $0.64

$2.08 ฿70.1

-69.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.51 ฿51.0

-63.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.38 ฿46.56

-65.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 $0.53

$1.07 ฿35.99

-50.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 $0.30

$0.52 ฿17.52

-42.31%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 $0.79

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 $2.53

$4.20 ฿142

-39.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.45 ฿49.03

-93.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.47 $5.47

$56.7 ฿1,913

-90.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 $0.52

$3.02 ฿102

-82.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.02 ฿34.36

-71.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.69 ฿125

-16.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

$1.47 ฿49.81

-93.88%

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

$51.0K $51.0K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

90.29%

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

$45.1K $45.1K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

68.90%

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

$12.88 $12.88

$96.4 ฿3,254

-86.63%

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

$1.60 $1.60

$11.26 ฿380

-85.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.85 $3.85

$16.85 ฿569

-77.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.27 $24.27

$67.2 ฿2,270

-63.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.15 $13.15

$10.73 ฿362

22.55%

Cinema Ticket

$1.95 $1.95

$7.50 ฿253

-74.00%

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

$109 $109

$476 ฿16.1K

-77.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,557 $2,557

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-77.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.91 $26.91

$62.4 ฿2,106

-56.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.60 $37.60

$28.41 ฿959

32.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$94.3 ฿3,184

24.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 $71.7

$85.8 ฿2,898

-16.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 $430

$716 ฿24.2K

-39.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 $269

$491 ฿16.6K

-45.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 $961

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-50.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 $628

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-56.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,268 $1,268

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-69.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 $717

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-76.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$211 $211

$502 ฿17.0K

-58.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.79

5.57

345.06%

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

Last update for Tehran: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tehran

$269 42.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 82.4% $222

Groceries & Markets

Tehran

$126 20.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 111% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Tehran

$114 18.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 6.7% $7.7

Eating Out

Tehran

$65 10.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 87.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Tehran

$28 4.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 192% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tehran

$18 2.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 579% $106

Getting Around

Tehran

$7.8 1.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 800% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $430 in Tehran and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Tehran vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $126 vs $266 per month, with Tehran cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Tehran

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of Tehran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000,000 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

USD USD

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Tehran Phuket 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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

Tehran vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tehran is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. The 103% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Tehran. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $430 in Tehran versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Tehran versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $629 in Tehran versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tehran but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tehran the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Tehran gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.