Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulyanovsk and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulyanovsk: $898 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Ulyanovsk
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Ulyanovsk Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Ulyanovsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$898

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $898 in Ulyanovsk versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Ulyanovsk $898
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,386 in Ulyanovsk versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Ulyanovsk $1,386
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,874 in Ulyanovsk versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Ulyanovsk $1,874
Phuket $2,845

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Ulyanovsk 34% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.40 ₽701

$4.40 ฿147

90.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.41 ₽2,538

$32.26 ฿1,078

-5.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.44 ₽538

$8.76 ฿293

-26.48%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ₽191

$2.83 ฿94.5

-19.08%

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

$0.93 ₽77.8

$0.90 ฿30.14

3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ₽29.97

$0.47 ฿15.56

-23.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₽147

$2.55 ฿85.2

-30.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₽164

$3.83 ฿128

-48.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 ₽86.9

$1.73 ฿57.7

-39.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 ₽51.3

$1.47 ฿49.11

-57.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ₽87.2

$1.51 ฿50.6

-31.13%

Eggs

$1.49 ₽124

$2.17 ฿72.7

-31.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 ₽1,217

$19.70 ฿658

-25.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 ₽620

$3.34 ฿112

122.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.35 ₽613

$11.16 ฿373

-34.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 ₽133

$2.85 ฿95.1

-44.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₽129

$1.70 ฿56.9

-8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 ₽338

$2.19 ฿73.3

84.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.90 ₽409

$2.05 ฿68.4

139.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ₽124

$1.45 ฿48.57

2.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 ₽70.0

$1.38 ฿46.16

-39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₽44.15

$0.51 ฿16.91

3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 ₽258

$4.26 ฿142

-27.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ₽89.2

$1.78 ฿59.7

-39.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ₽36.70

$2.26 ฿75.6

-80.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₽294

$3.01 ฿101

16.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 ₽301

$3.86 ฿129

-6.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 ₽72.5

$1.45 ฿48.45

-40.00%

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

$53.4K ₽4.5M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

102.73%

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

$41.0K ₽3.4M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

52.01%

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

$141 ₽11.8K

$96.4 ฿3,221

46.53%

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

$4.81 ₽401

$11.04 ฿369

-56.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.69 ₽1,143

$17.14 ฿573

-20.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.46 ₽3,043

$52.2 ฿1,744

-30.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.86 ₽2,075

$11.16 ฿373

122.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 ₽711

$7.81 ฿261

8.96%

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)

$30.17 ₽2,518

$64.2 ฿2,146

-53.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.74 ₽2,983

$28.69 ฿959

24.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.2 ₽7,942

$95.4 ฿3,187

-0.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.7 ₽4,979

$88.0 ฿2,940

-32.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 ₽30.2K

$737 ฿24.6K

-50.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 ₽20.3K

$462 ฿15.5K

-47.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 ₽41.1K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-76.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 ₽36.0K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-64.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,620 ₽218.7K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-24.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,519 ₽126.7K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-39.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$509 ₽42.5K

$501 ฿16.7K

1.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

312.93%

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

Last update for Ulyanovsk: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulyanovsk

$243 27.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 90.2% $219

Groceries & Markets

Ulyanovsk

$205 * 22.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 30.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulyanovsk

$160 17.8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 22% $35

Eating Out

Ulyanovsk

$132 14.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 8.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ulyanovsk

$99 11.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 25.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ulyanovsk

$53 6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 26.7% $14

Getting Around

Ulyanovsk

$5.3 * 0.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 647% $34

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 $362 in Ulyanovsk and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulyanovsk pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Ulyanovsk vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $269 per month, with Ulyanovsk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Ulyanovsk

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:18 2:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

3 h ahead of Ulyanovsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

627,705

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 →

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Ulyanovsk Phuket 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulyanovsk
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

Ulyanovsk vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulyanovsk is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Ulyanovsk, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $362 in Ulyanovsk versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ulyanovsk – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $898 in Ulyanovsk versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ulyanovsk but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ulyanovsk the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ulyanovsk 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, Ulyanovsk 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 Ulyanovsk gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.