Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,517 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
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Amsterdam Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,517

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,517 per month in Amsterdam vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Amsterdam $3,517
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $5,063 per month in Amsterdam vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Amsterdam $5,063
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $6,608 per month in Amsterdam vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Amsterdam $6,608
Phuket $3,154

Amsterdam costs about 175% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Amsterdam sits 158% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €20.07

$4.47 ฿151

399.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.6 €79.6

$32.41 ฿1,094

173.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.80 €13.30

$8.81 ฿297

67.99%

Cappuccino

$4.65 €4.18

$2.83 ฿95.5

64.31%

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

$3.69 €3.32

$0.87 ฿29.43

324.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.60

$0.49 ฿16.67

491.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 €7.12

$2.56 ฿86.4

209.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 €5.87

$3.68 ฿124

77.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.66 ฿56.0

-13.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.46 ฿49.35

64.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.25

$1.50 ฿50.6

66.67%

Eggs

$5.15 €4.63

$2.09 ฿70.5

146.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.90 €15.19

$19.07 ฿644

-11.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.44

$3.30 ฿111

285.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.87 €20.55

$10.91 ฿368

109.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.93 ฿99.0

-6.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.46

$1.69 ฿57.1

62.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 €2.47

$2.25 ฿75.8

21.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 €3.47

$2.08 ฿70.1

85.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.27

$1.51 ฿51.0

66.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 €1.49

$1.38 ฿46.56

19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.07 ฿35.99

41.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.52

$0.52 ฿17.52

225.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.52 €13.04

$4.20 ฿142

245.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 €7.73

$18.79 ฿634

-54.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.82 ฿61.5

-2.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.25

$2.84 ฿95.9

-11.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.70 €3.32

$1.45 ฿49.03

155.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 €105

$56.7 ฿1,913

105.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 €4.21

$3.02 ฿102

55.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 €3.08

$1.02 ฿34.36

235.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.00 €35.04

$3.69 ฿125

956.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 €2.30

$1.47 ฿49.81

74.15%

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

$40.6K €36.5K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

51.58%

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

$38.9K €34.9K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

45.69%

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

$306 €275

$96.4 ฿3,254

218.04%

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

$22.66 €20.36

$11.26 ฿380

101.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 €47.47

$16.85 ฿569

213.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €49.38

$67.2 ฿2,270

-18.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.66 €32.04

$10.73 ฿362

232.34%

Cinema Ticket

$16.48 €14.81

$7.50 ฿253

119.73%

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

$2,778 €2,496

$476 ฿16.1K

483.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K €15.2K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

50.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.7 €83.3

$62.4 ฿2,106

48.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.28 €37.09

$28.41 ฿959

45.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €91.1

$94.3 ฿3,184

7.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$85.8 ฿2,898

56.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,642 €2,374

$716 ฿24.2K

269.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 €1,787

$491 ฿16.6K

305.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,165 €3,742

$1,927 ฿65.1K

116.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,251 €2,921

$1,431 ฿48.3K

127.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,482

$4,175 ฿141.0K

152.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,734 €6,050

$3,045 ฿102.8K

121.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,625 €4,156

$502 ฿17.0K

820.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.57

-40.75%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amsterdam

$2K 56.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 75.3% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$382 10.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 67.4% $257

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$381 10.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 30.1% $114

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$358 10.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 66% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$166 4.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 26.7% $44

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$153 4.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 53.9% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$88 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 6.5% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,642 in Amsterdam versus $716 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 in Amsterdam are about 9.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Amsterdam versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

18:56 6:56 PM

6 h ahead of Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Amsterdam Phuket 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Amsterdam
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

Amsterdam vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Amsterdam is pricier by about 175%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,276 per month in Amsterdam and $1,917 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $2,642 in Amsterdam.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,778 per month in Amsterdam and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Amsterdam at $3,517. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amsterdam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $3,517 in Amsterdam. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Amsterdam makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.