Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brugge and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,146 in Brugge, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Brugge, Belgium
Phuket, Thailand
Brugge
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,146
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,146 per month in Brugge vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Brugge $2,146
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,110 per month in Brugge vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Brugge $3,110
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,074 per month in Brugge vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Brugge $4,074
  • Phuket $3,154

Brugge costs about 68% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Brugge sits 58% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brugge
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.27 €20.01
$4.47 ฿151
398.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.8 €69.0
$32.41 ฿1,094
136.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.19 €11.85
$8.81 ฿297
49.72%
Cappuccino
$4.46 €4.00
$2.83 ฿95.5
57.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 €2.59
$0.87 ฿29.43
232.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.90 €2.61
$0.49 ฿16.67
491.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.45 €4.89
$2.56 ฿86.4
112.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.57 €4.10
$3.68 ฿124
24.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brugge
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 €1.09
$1.66 ฿56.0
-27.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.88 €1.69
$1.46 ฿49.35
28.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.01 €1.80
$1.50 ฿50.6
34.00%
Eggs
$3.73 €3.35
$2.09 ฿70.5
78.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 €10.30
$19.07 ฿644
-39.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.77 €10.57
$3.30 ฿111
256.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.87 €16.95
$10.91 ฿368
72.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.69 €2.41
$2.93 ฿99.0
-8.19%
Banana (1kg)
$2.24 €2.01
$1.69 ฿57.1
32.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.14 €1.92
$2.25 ฿75.8
-4.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.21 €1.99
$2.08 ฿70.1
6.25%
Potato (1kg)
$2.26 €2.03
$1.51 ฿51.0
49.67%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 €0.80
$1.38 ฿46.56
-35.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.37
$1.07 ฿35.99
42.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 €0.84
$0.52 ฿17.52
78.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.25 €11.90
$4.20 ฿142
215.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.15 €6.43
$18.79 ฿634
-61.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 €1.02
$1.82 ฿61.5
-37.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 €1.73
$2.84 ฿95.9
-32.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Brugge
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.12 €2.80
$1.45 ฿49.03
115.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.0 €49.42
$56.7 ฿1,913
-2.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.40 €3.05
$3.02 ฿102
12.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.41 €2.16
$1.02 ฿34.36
136.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.85 €22.33
$3.69 ฿125
573.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.96 €1.76
$1.47 ฿49.81
33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.9K €32.3K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
34.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.0K €29.6K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
23.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brugge
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$212 €191
$96.4 ฿3,254
120.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.28 €16.42
$11.26 ฿380
62.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.4 €47.98
$16.85 ฿569
216.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brugge
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.32 €38.02
$67.2 ฿2,270
-37.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.81 €12.41
$10.73 ฿362
28.70%
Cinema Ticket
$14.49 €13.02
$7.50 ฿253
93.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brugge
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$587 €528
$476 ฿16.1K
23.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,011 €4,501
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-55.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brugge
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.3
$62.4 ฿2,106
62.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.8 €52.8
$28.41 ฿959
107.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.0 €79.1
$94.3 ฿3,184
-6.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$250 €224
$85.8 ฿2,898
191.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brugge
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$932 €837
$716 ฿24.2K
30.18%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$853 €767
$491 ฿16.6K
73.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,278 €1,148
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-33.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,180 €1,060
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-17.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,647 €2,378
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-36.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,514 €2,258
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-17.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brugge
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,597 €2,333
$502 ฿17.0K
417.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.52
5.57
-36.80%

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

Last update for Brugge: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Brugge
$853
Phuket
$491 42.5% $362
Eating Out
Brugge
$331
Phuket
$122 63.2% $209
Groceries & Markets
Brugge
$300
Phuket
$266 11.2% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brugge
$284
Phuket
$124 56.2% $160
Clothing & Footwear
Brugge
$224
Phuket
$122 45.6% $102
Getting Around
Brugge
$83
Phuket
$71 14.9% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Brugge
$71
Phuket
$82 15.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $932 in Brugge 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 Brugge are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Brugge versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Brugge
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
22:19 10:19 PM
04:19 4:19 AM
6 h ahead of Brugge
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
117,639
79,308
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Brugge Phuket 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Brugge
  • 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
Brugge vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Brugge?
Yes – Brugge is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,219 per month in Brugge and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $932 in Brugge.
What are total monthly expenses in Brugge and in Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,146 in Brugge and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 40% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 3% less in Brugge. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Brugge or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Brugge at $2,146. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brugge it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Brugge or Phuket more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Brugge or Phuket?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brugge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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