Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yekaterinburg and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,369 in Yekaterinburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Yekaterinburg
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Yekaterinburg Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Yekaterinburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,369

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,369 in Yekaterinburg versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Yekaterinburg $1,369
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,228 in Yekaterinburg versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Yekaterinburg $2,228
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,088 in Yekaterinburg versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Yekaterinburg $3,088
Phuket $2,867

Living in Yekaterinburg is roughly 13% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Yekaterinburg is 1% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.53 ₽1,046

$4.58 ฿153

173.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 ₽4,498

$32.48 ฿1,086

65.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 ₽486

$8.55 ฿286

-31.93%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₽195

$2.72 ฿91.0

-14.34%

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

$1.24 ₽104

$0.94 ฿31.25

31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ₽31.27

$0.49 ฿16.39

-24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ₽191

$2.59 ฿86.6

-11.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 ₽256

$3.83 ฿128

-20.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 ₽94.9

$1.74 ฿58.1

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 ₽59.3

$1.43 ฿47.82

-50.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ₽99.0

$1.53 ฿51.0

-22.22%

Eggs

$1.69 ₽141

$2.17 ฿72.7

-22.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.11 ₽928

$19.15 ฿640

-41.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 ₽432

$3.30 ฿110

56.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 ₽1,121

$11.14 ฿372

20.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₽171

$2.95 ฿98.5

-30.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 ₽145

$1.68 ฿56.1

3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 ₽122

$2.30 ฿76.8

-36.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 ₽222

$2.13 ฿71.3

24.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₽55.8

$1.53 ฿51.1

-56.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ₽48.80

$1.36 ฿45.55

-57.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 ₽124

$1.12 ฿37.44

33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₽76.1

$0.55 ฿18.24

65.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₽285

$4.26 ฿142

-19.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.29 ₽609

$18.19 ฿608

-59.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 ₽119

$1.74 ฿58.2

-17.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₽209

$2.79 ฿93.3

-10.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 ₽43.02

$2.22 ฿74.1

-76.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.69 ₽1,477

$22.06 ฿737

-19.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 ₽346

$2.91 ฿97.3

42.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 ₽15.64

$1.01 ฿33.79

-81.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.21 ₽351

$3.83 ฿128

9.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₽71.9

$1.49 ฿49.85

-42.28%

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

$36.1K ₽3.0M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

35.29%

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

$28.5K ₽2.4M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

6.75%

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

$120 ₽10.0K

$99.4 ฿3,321

20.78%

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

$5.81 ₽485

$11.28 ฿377

-48.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.93 ₽996

$17.36 ฿580

-31.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.24 ₽3,609

$52.3 ฿1,747

-17.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.43 ₽3,040

$10.85 ฿362

235.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.22 ₽603

$7.57 ฿253

-4.62%

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

$350 ₽29.2K

$558 ฿18.7K

-37.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,645 ₽304.2K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-68.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$133 ₽11.1K

$62.9 ฿2,102

111.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$105 ₽8,738

$28.58 ฿955

266.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$237 ₽19.8K

$96.1 ฿3,213

146.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 ₽14.2K

$88.1 ฿2,943

93.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 ₽64.0K

$729 ฿24.4K

5.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 ₽39.4K

$460 ฿15.4K

2.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 ₽105.4K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-39.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 ₽81.5K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-20.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,455 ₽204.9K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-29.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,672 ₽139.6K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-32.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$980 ₽81.8K

$493 ฿16.5K

98.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.22

5.57

298.92%

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

Last update for Yekaterinburg: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yekaterinburg

$472 34.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 2.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Yekaterinburg

$290 21.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 57.3% $166

Groceries & Markets

Yekaterinburg

$216 15.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 23.8% $51

Eating Out

Yekaterinburg

$170 12.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 28.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yekaterinburg

$138 10.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 7.1% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Yekaterinburg

$58 4.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 16.9% $9.7

Getting Around

Yekaterinburg

$25 1.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 56.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $767 in Yekaterinburg and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yekaterinburg pays 99% 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: $54.0 in Yekaterinburg vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $216 vs $268, with Yekaterinburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:54 12:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

2 h ahead of Yekaterinburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,495,066

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 18, 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 18, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Yekaterinburg Phuket 6,350 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Yekaterinburg
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

Yekaterinburg vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in clothing and eating out. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Yekaterinburg, 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: $767 in Yekaterinburg versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $350 in Yekaterinburg versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Yekaterinburg pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,369 in Yekaterinburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Yekaterinburg. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Yekaterinburg, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Yekaterinburg 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Yekaterinburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.