Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aachen and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,931 in Aachen, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Aachen
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Aachen Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Aachen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,931

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,931 per month in Aachen vs $1,190 in Phuket, rent included.

Aachen $1,931
Phuket $1,190

A couple spends around $2,903 per month in Aachen vs $2,006 in Phuket, rent included.

Aachen $2,903
Phuket $2,006

A family of three spends $3,876 per month in Aachen vs $2,822 in Phuket, rent included.

Aachen $3,876
Phuket $2,822

Aachen costs about 62% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Aachen sits 44% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.98 €14.26

$4.35 ฿146

267.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 €54.1

$32.45 ฿1,087

86.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 €10.21

$8.42 ฿282

35.87%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.42

$2.81 ฿94.0

36.30%

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

$2.73 €2.44

$0.87 ฿29.29

213.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.65

$0.46 ฿15.39

545.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 €4.50

$2.59 ฿86.6

94.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 €5.16

$3.64 ฿122

58.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.71 ฿57.2

-28.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.45 ฿48.42

29.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 €3.18

$1.56 ฿52.3

128.21%

Eggs

$3.46 €3.09

$2.10 ฿70.3

64.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.38 €12.84

$19.53 ฿654

-26.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 €10.22

$3.40 ฿114

236.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 €18.98

$11.14 ฿373

90.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.83 ฿94.8

19.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.62 ฿54.3

43.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.22 ฿74.5

-3.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.98

$2.15 ฿71.9

55.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.49 ฿49.95

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.33 ฿44.40

13.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.07 ฿35.72

32.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.51 ฿17.01

135.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 €8.87

$4.38 ฿147

126.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$18.77 ฿629

-63.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.74 ฿58.3

-32.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.78 ฿92.9

-40.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 €3.45

$2.17 ฿72.6

78.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 €62.3

$22.28 ฿746

213.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.77

$3.02 ฿101

76.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.06 ฿35.43

148.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.76 €32.80

$3.71 ฿124

890.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.43 ฿47.88

60.14%

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

$33.3K €29.7K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

26.43%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

49.16%

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

$375 €335

$96.7 ฿3,236

288.40%

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

$17.00 €15.17

$11.41 ฿382

48.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.36 €42.26

$17.11 ฿573

176.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.39 €33.37

$52.8 ฿1,768

-29.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.99 €24.98

$11.07 ฿371

152.85%

Cinema Ticket

$15.48 €13.81

$7.65 ฿256

102.35%

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

$745 €664

$555 ฿18.6K

34.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K €17.5K

$11.3K ฿377.7K

73.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.1 €82.2

$63.4 ฿2,123

45.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 €37.40

$28.61 ฿958

46.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 €74.0

$96.7 ฿3,238

-14.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$88.6 ฿2,967

49.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 €747

$735 ฿24.6K

13.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 €508

$458 ฿15.3K

24.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 €1,343

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-28.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 €925

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-12.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,432 €3,955

$3,493 ฿116.9K

26.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,464 €3,091

$2,491 ฿83.4K

39.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,614 €3,225

$501 ฿16.8K

621.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

5.57

-28.90%

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

Last update for Aachen: October 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aachen

$570 29.4%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 19.6% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aachen

$440 22.7%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 71.5% $315

Groceries & Markets

Aachen

$330 17%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 18.7% $62

Eating Out

Aachen

$268 13.8%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 55.5% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Aachen

$157 8.1%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 20.6% $32

Getting Around

Aachen

$104 5.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 62.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Aachen

$68 3.5%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $837 in Aachen versus $735 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 622% higher in Aachen, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $330 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Aachen

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:41 11:41 AM

16:41 4:41 PM

5 h ahead of Aachen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,683

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Aachen Phuket 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Aachen
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

Aachen vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,931 in Aachen, $1,190 in Phuket – roughly 62% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,896 per month in Aachen and $1,785 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Aachen and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,931 in Aachen and $1,190 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 62%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Aachen at $1,931. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aachen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,190 in Phuket to $1,931 in Aachen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aachen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.