Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,198 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,198

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,198 per month in Best vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Best $2,198
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,057 per month in Best vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Best $3,057
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,915 per month in Best vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Best $3,915
Phuket $3,154

Best costs about 72% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Best sits 62% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.20 €19.89

$4.47 ฿151

396.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 €77.0

$32.41 ฿1,092

164.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.10

$8.81 ฿297

40.64%

Cappuccino

$3.50 €3.14

$2.83 ฿95.3

23.67%

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

$3.22 €2.89

$0.87 ฿29.37

270.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.31

$0.49 ฿16.64

424.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.09

$2.56 ฿86.2

121.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.32

$3.68 ฿124

30.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.66 ฿55.9

-32.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.46 ฿49.25

31.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.50 ฿50.4

42.67%

Eggs

$3.18 €2.85

$2.09 ฿70.4

52.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 €9.94

$19.07 ฿642

-41.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 €9.98

$3.30 ฿111

237.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 €13.35

$10.91 ฿368

36.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.93 ฿98.7

-33.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.69 ฿56.9

-6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.25 ฿75.7

-23.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 €4.59

$2.08 ฿70.0

146.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.51 ฿50.9

-23.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.38 ฿46.47

-15.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.07 ฿35.91

-1.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.52 ฿17.49

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 €10.09

$4.20 ฿142

167.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$18.79 ฿633

-69.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.82 ฿61.4

-21.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.36

$2.84 ฿95.7

-7.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 €2.23

$1.45 ฿48.93

71.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.7 €65.1

$56.7 ฿1,909

28.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 €3.46

$3.02 ฿102

27.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 €2.54

$1.02 ฿34.29

178.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.53 €26.46

$3.69 ฿124

700.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.16

$1.47 ฿49.70

63.95%

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

$26.5K €23.7K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-1.12%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

45.09%

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

$184 €164

$96.4 ฿3,247

90.50%

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

$14.85 €13.31

$11.26 ฿380

31.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.38 €34.39

$16.85 ฿568

127.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.88 €36.63

$67.2 ฿2,266

-39.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.29 €22.67

$10.73 ฿361

135.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 €12.14

$7.50 ฿253

80.67%

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

$1,260 €1,129

$476 ฿16.0K

164.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,129 €4,596

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-54.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 €45.81

$62.4 ฿2,102

-18.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 €29.71

$28.41 ฿957

16.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 €64.9

$94.3 ฿3,178

-23.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 €51.8

$85.8 ฿2,892

-32.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,375

$716 ฿24.1K

114.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €984

$491 ฿16.5K

123.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,783

$1,927 ฿64.9K

3.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 €1,207

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-5.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,622 €5,038

$4,175 ฿140.7K

34.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,407 €3,949

$3,045 ฿102.6K

44.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,005 €3,589

$502 ฿16.9K

697.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

5.57

-36.45%

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

Last update for Best: 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

Best

$1.1K 50%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 55.3% $607

Eating Out

Best

$318 14.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 61.7% $196

Groceries & Markets

Best

$280 12.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$237 10.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 47.4% $112

Getting Around

Best

$101 4.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 29.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$97 4.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 26.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 21% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,534 in Best 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 Best are about 8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Best versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $280 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

6 h ahead of Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Best Phuket 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Best
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

Best vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Best is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,298 per month in Best 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 $1,534 in Best.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,198 in Best and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Best at $2,198. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Best it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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