Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Van and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Van
Learn more

Van Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $956 in Van versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Van $956
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,536 in Van versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Van $1,536
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,116 in Van versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Van $2,116
Phuket $3,154

Living in Van costs roughly 25% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Van 30% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.48 ₺373

$4.47 ฿151

67.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.59 ₺1,723

$32.41 ฿1,094

6.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 ₺395

$8.81 ฿297

-9.99%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₺178

$2.83 ฿95.5

26.15%

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

$1.14 ₺56.6

$0.87 ฿29.43

31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₺21.17

$0.49 ฿16.67

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 ₺166

$2.56 ฿86.4

30.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₺154

$3.68 ฿124

-15.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 ₺47.67

$1.66 ฿56.0

-42.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₺49.80

$1.46 ฿49.35

-31.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺112

$1.50 ฿50.6

50.00%

Eggs

$1.48 ₺73.9

$2.09 ฿70.5

-29.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 ₺448

$19.07 ฿644

-52.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ₺203

$3.30 ฿111

23.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.62 ₺1,127

$10.91 ฿368

107.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.9

$2.93 ฿99.0

-37.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 ₺91.1

$1.69 ฿57.1

8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ₺54.3

$2.25 ฿75.8

-51.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ₺57.4

$2.08 ฿70.1

-44.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 ₺25.73

$1.51 ฿51.0

-65.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₺17.44

$1.38 ฿46.56

-74.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₺36.87

$1.07 ฿35.99

-30.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₺30.53

$0.52 ฿17.52

17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 ₺108

$4.20 ฿142

-48.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 ₺516

$18.79 ฿634

-44.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₺99.9

$1.82 ฿61.5

10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₺139

$2.84 ฿95.9

-1.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ₺36.59

$1.45 ฿49.03

-49.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ₺64.6

$3.02 ฿102

-56.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₺37.85

$1.02 ฿34.36

-25.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 ₺359

$3.69 ฿125

95.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₺64.0

$1.47 ฿49.81

-12.93%

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

$42.2K ₺2.1M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

57.75%

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

$38.9K ₺1.9M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

45.77%

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

$79.9 ₺3,981

$96.4 ฿3,254

-17.07%

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

$10.46 ₺521

$11.26 ฿380

-7.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.39 ₺667

$16.85 ฿569

-20.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 ₺2,841

$67.2 ฿2,270

-15.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ₺324

$7.50 ฿253

-13.47%

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

$624 ₺31.1K

$476 ฿16.1K

31.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ₺566.1K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

0.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 ₺2,285

$62.4 ฿2,106

-26.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.35 ₺1,661

$28.41 ฿959

17.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 ₺3,969

$94.3 ฿3,184

-15.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 ₺4,425

$85.8 ฿2,898

3.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ₺23.4K

$716 ฿24.2K

-34.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 ₺13.9K

$491 ฿16.6K

-43.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₺40.6K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-57.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 ₺29.2K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-59.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,491 ₺74.3K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-64.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$968 ₺48.2K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-68.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.33

5.57

642.01%

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

Last update for Van: 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

Van

$278 29.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 76.3% $213

Groceries & Markets

Van

$229 23.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 16.4% $37

Eating Out

Van

$156 16.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Van

$111 11.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 9.4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Van

$104 10.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 20% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Van

$70 7.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 17.5% $12

Getting Around

Van

$8 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 779% $63

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 $469 in Van and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35 in Van vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $229 vs $266, with Van cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Van

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

4 h ahead of Van

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,141,015

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 = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Van Phuket 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Van
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

Van vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Van is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,434 in Van 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: $469 in Van versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $624 in Van 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 Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $35 in Van. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.