Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urmia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Urmia: $419 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Urmia
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Urmia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Urmia

🇮🇷 Iran

$419

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $419 in Urmia versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Urmia $419
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $725 in Urmia versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Urmia $725
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,030 in Urmia versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Urmia $1,030
Phuket $2,845

Living in Urmia costs roughly 65% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Urmia 69% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.06 $5.06

$4.40 ฿147

15.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.78 $23.78

$32.26 ฿1,078

-26.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.97 $2.97

$8.76 ฿293

-66.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 $1.26

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

$2.83 ฿94.5

-61.48%

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

$0.74 $0.74

$0.90 ฿30.14

-17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.47 ฿15.56

4.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.73 ฿57.7

-64.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 $0.44

$1.47 ฿49.11

-70.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.51 ฿50.6

55.63%

Eggs

$1.22 $1.22

$2.17 ฿72.7

-43.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$19.70 ฿658

-78.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.34 ฿112

-23.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 $6.37

$11.16 ฿373

-42.92%

Apples (1kg)

$0.88 $0.88

$2.85 ฿95.1

-69.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.70 ฿56.9

-14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 $0.74

$2.19 ฿73.3

-66.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 $0.67

$2.05 ฿68.4

-67.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.45 ฿48.57

-64.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 $0.56

$1.38 ฿46.16

-59.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 $0.53

$1.07 ฿35.69

-50.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$0.51 ฿16.91

-49.02%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.78 $0.78

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 $1.37

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.13 $1.13

$4.26 ฿142

-73.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 $0.16

$2.26 ฿75.6

-92.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.65 $9.65

$22.10 ฿738

-56.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 $0.39

$3.01 ฿101

-87.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$1.06 ฿35.34

-70.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.86 ฿129

-33.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.45 ฿48.45

-93.10%

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

$49.6K $49.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

88.56%

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

$44.0K $44.0K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

63.28%

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

$12.79 $12.79

$96.4 ฿3,221

-86.73%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$11.04 ฿369

-85.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.65 $3.65

$17.14 ฿573

-78.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.38 $9.38

$52.2 ฿1,744

-82.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.16 $13.16

$11.16 ฿373

17.92%

Cinema Ticket

$2.02 $2.02

$7.81 ฿261

-74.14%

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

$106 $106

$556 ฿18.6K

-81.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,393 $2,393

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-79.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.69 $22.69

$64.2 ฿2,146

-64.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.94 $27.94

$28.69 ฿959

-2.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$95.4 ฿3,187

2.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.75 $32.75

$88.0 ฿2,940

-62.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$175 $175

$737 ฿24.6K

-76.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 $130

$462 ฿15.5K

-71.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$326 $326

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-84.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 $271

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-77.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$712 $712

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-79.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$594 $594

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-76.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$277 $277

$501 ฿16.7K

-44.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

5.57

336.27%

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

Last update for Urmia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Urmia

$130 31%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 256% $332

Groceries & Markets

Urmia

$97 23.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 177% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Urmia

$81 19.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 52.6% $43

Eating Out

Urmia

$67 16.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 80.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urmia

$18 4.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 591% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Urmia

$13 3.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 405% $54

Getting Around

Urmia

$12 2.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 223% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $175 in Urmia and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 81% 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: $24.00 in Urmia vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $97.0 vs $269 per month, with Urmia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Urmia

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

23:03 11:03 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of Urmia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

736,224

79,308

💱 Currency

USD USD

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Urmia Phuket 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Urmia
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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

Urmia vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Urmia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 188% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Phuket. 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: $175 in Urmia versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $106 in Urmia versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 177% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $419 in Urmia versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Urmia but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Urmia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Urmia 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, Urmia 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 Urmia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 188% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.