Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Brussels versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Brussels $2,594
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,876 in Brussels versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Brussels $3,876
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,157 in Brussels versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Brussels $5,157
Phuket $2,867

Living in Brussels is roughly 115% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brussels is 92% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 €19.67

$4.58 ฿153

382.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 €79.9

$32.48 ฿1,086

176.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 €13.41

$8.55 ฿286

76.26%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €4.00

$2.72 ฿91.0

65.07%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$0.94 ฿31.25

290.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$0.49 ฿16.39

542.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.04

$2.59 ฿86.6

118.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$3.83 ฿128

47.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.74 ฿58.1

-22.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.46

$1.43 ฿47.82

93.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.53 ฿51.0

81.70%

Eggs

$5.22 €4.65

$2.17 ฿72.7

140.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$19.15 ฿640

-8.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$3.30 ฿110

304.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 €19.48

$11.14 ฿372

96.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.95 ฿98.5

2.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.68 ฿56.1

44.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.30 ฿76.8

23.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 €3.62

$2.13 ฿71.3

91.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.53 ฿51.1

67.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.36 ฿45.55

64.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.12 ฿37.44

64.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.55 ฿18.24

129.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.26 €11.80

$4.26 ฿142

211.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 €8.55

$18.19 ฿608

-47.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.74 ฿58.2

49.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.79 ฿93.3

11.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.50

$2.22 ฿74.1

27.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €54.8

$22.06 ฿737

179.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.91 ฿97.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.01 ฿33.79

120.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 €36.00

$3.83 ฿128

956.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.49 ฿49.85

38.26%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

34.89%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

24.40%

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

$283 €252

$99.4 ฿3,321

185.16%

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

$21.97 €19.54

$11.28 ฿377

94.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 €46.01

$17.36 ฿580

197.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 €29.62

$52.3 ฿1,747

-36.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$10.85 ฿362

154.01%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 €14.53

$7.57 ฿253

115.72%

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

$1,569 €1,396

$558 ฿18.7K

181.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K €32.6K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

219.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$62.9 ฿2,102

64.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 €40.56

$28.58 ฿955

59.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$96.1 ฿3,213

13.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$88.1 ฿2,943

65.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,172

$729 ฿24.4K

80.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 €1,038

$460 ฿15.4K

153.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 €2,191

$2,096 ฿70.0K

17.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,756

$1,222 ฿40.8K

61.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,099 €4,535

$3,459 ฿115.6K

47.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 €3,453

$2,489 ฿83.2K

55.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 €2,986

$493 ฿16.5K

580.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

5.57

-33.39%

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

Last update for Brussels: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 45%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 60.6% $707

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$392 15.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 31.8% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$357 13.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 64.1% $229

Eating Out

Brussels

$343 13.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 64.6% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 31.8% $58

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 55.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$66 2.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 2.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 581% 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: $90.0 in Brussels vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

23:44 11:44 PM

5 h ahead of Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

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

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Between locations

Brussels Phuket 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Brussels
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

Brussels vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 115% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 581% higher in Brussels, 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: $1,318 in Brussels versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Brussels. 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 $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,594 in Brussels, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brussels 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 115% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.