Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arnhem and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,557 in Arnhem, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Arnhem
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Arnhem Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Arnhem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,557

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,557 in Arnhem versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Arnhem $2,557
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,743 in Arnhem versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Arnhem $3,743
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,930 in Arnhem versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Arnhem $4,930
Phuket $2,867

Living in Arnhem is roughly 112% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arnhem is 89% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.91 €19.49

$4.58 ฿153

378.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €75.8

$32.48 ฿1,086

162.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 €13.32

$8.55 ฿286

75.20%

Cappuccino

$4.07 €3.62

$2.72 ฿91.0

49.63%

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

$3.34 €2.97

$0.94 ฿31.25

255.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.52

$0.49 ฿16.39

477.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.00

$2.59 ฿86.6

116.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.86

$3.83 ฿128

42.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.74 ฿58.1

-14.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.43 ฿47.82

39.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.53 ฿51.0

49.67%

Eggs

$5.21 €4.64

$2.17 ฿72.7

140.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 €11.33

$19.15 ฿640

-33.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.14 €12.58

$3.30 ฿110

328.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.77 €14.03

$11.14 ฿372

41.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.50

$2.95 ฿98.5

-4.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.68 ฿56.1

51.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$2.30 ฿76.8

-19.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 €4.79

$2.13 ฿71.3

153.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.53 ฿51.1

22.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.36 ฿45.55

75.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.12 ฿37.44

8.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.55 ฿18.24

29.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 €12.65

$4.26 ฿142

234.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.15 €6.36

$18.19 ฿608

-60.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.74 ฿58.2

-17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.79 ฿93.3

-5.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.35 €3.87

$2.22 ฿74.1

95.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 €100

$22.06 ฿737

411.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.56

$2.91 ฿97.3

37.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.01 ฿33.79

135.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 €29.23

$3.83 ฿128

757.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.49 ฿49.85

60.40%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

56.78%

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

$39.7K €35.3K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

48.60%

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

$276 €245

$99.4 ฿3,321

177.36%

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

$22.71 €20.20

$11.28 ฿377

101.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.44 €37.75

$17.36 ฿580

144.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.30 €36.73

$52.3 ฿1,747

-21.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 €9.78

$10.85 ฿362

1.29%

Cinema Ticket

$14.38 €12.79

$7.57 ฿253

89.96%

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

$1,259 €1,120

$558 ฿18.7K

125.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,925 €5,270

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-48.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.8

$62.9 ฿2,102

51.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.13 €25.91

$28.58 ฿955

1.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €94.8

$96.1 ฿3,213

10.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €136

$88.1 ฿2,943

73.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 €1,278

$729 ฿24.4K

96.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 €1,031

$460 ฿15.4K

152.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,228 €1,982

$2,096 ฿70.0K

6.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 €1,632

$1,222 ฿40.8K

50.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,312 €4,725

$3,459 ฿115.6K

53.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,175 €3,714

$2,489 ฿83.2K

67.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,723 €3,312

$493 ฿16.5K

655.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

5.57

-29.08%

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

Last update for Arnhem: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arnhem

$1.2K 45.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 60.3% $699

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arnhem

$341 13.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 62.4% $213

Groceries & Markets

Arnhem

$335 13.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 20.2% $68

Eating Out

Arnhem

$333 13%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 63.5% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Arnhem

$173 6.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 28.1% $48

Getting Around

Arnhem

$146 5.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 73.4% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Arnhem

$70 2.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 3.8% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,436 in Arnhem and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arnhem pays 655% 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: $85.0 in Arnhem vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Arnhem

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

06:45 6:45 AM

5 h ahead of Arnhem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,770

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arnhem Phuket 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Arnhem
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

Arnhem vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arnhem and Phuket differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($2,557 vs $1,207 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 655% higher in Arnhem, 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: $1,436 in Arnhem versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Arnhem. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $85.0 in Arnhem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,557 in Arnhem, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Arnhem. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Arnhem 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 112% less than in Arnhem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.