Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Diest and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,088 in Diest, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Diest
Learn more

Diest Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,088

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,088 in Diest versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Diest $2,088
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,070 in Diest versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Diest $3,070
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,052 in Diest versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Diest $4,052
Phuket $3,115

Living in Diest is roughly 61% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Diest is 54% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.93 €19.53

$4.39 ฿147

399.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 €75.7

$32.31 ฿1,078

163.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 €10.59

$8.70 ฿290

36.67%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.15

$2.72 ฿90.9

30.15%

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

$2.94 €2.62

$0.93 ฿31.06

216.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$0.50 ฿16.67

460.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 €4.79

$2.53 ฿84.5

112.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$3.63 ฿121

19.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.74 ฿58.1

-27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.45 ฿48.42

88.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.50 ฿50.1

50.00%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.50

$2.17 ฿72.5

81.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.20 €13.54

$19.09 ฿637

-20.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.87 €10.57

$3.40 ฿113

249.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.91 €16.84

$10.90 ฿364

73.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.94 ฿98.2

-5.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.69 ฿56.5

33.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.19 ฿73.2

19.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.12 ฿70.9

38.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.46 ฿48.68

49.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.37 ฿45.66

25.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.08 ฿35.91

40.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.55 ฿18.21

85.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.13 €11.69

$4.43 ฿148

196.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 €7.52

$18.25 ฿609

-53.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.77 ฿59.2

10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.88 ฿96.2

-28.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 €2.74

$1.45 ฿48.32

111.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 €48.47

$54.9 ฿1,832

-0.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 €5.07

$1.51 ฿50.5

276.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.78 ฿25.90

216.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.18 €26.89

$3.84 ฿128

685.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.49 ฿49.65

38.93%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$26.9K ฿897.3K

34.10%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$26.3K ฿879.4K

36.87%

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

$209 €186

$97.8 ฿3,265

113.22%

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

$20.59 €18.34

$11.29 ฿377

82.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €45.77

$17.19 ฿574

198.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 €32.60

$68.3 ฿2,281

-46.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 €17.76

$10.92 ฿365

82.60%

Cinema Ticket

$14.29 €12.73

$7.43 ฿248

92.33%

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

$781 €696

$530 ฿17.7K

47.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K €17.2K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

2.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$61.7 ฿2,059

67.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.33 €43.05

$28.25 ฿943

71.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$96.0 ฿3,204

10.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$86.8 ฿2,898

69.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 €836

$721 ฿24.1K

30.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €735

$509 ฿17.0K

62.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 €1,217

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-29.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,040

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-16.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,180 €3,723

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-0.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,949 €2,627

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-10.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,138 €1,905

$492 ฿16.4K

335.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

5.57

-36.62%

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

Last update for Diest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Diest

$825 39.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 38.3% $316

Groceries & Markets

Diest

$338 16.2%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 21% $71

Eating Out

Diest

$312 15%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 61.7% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Diest

$281 13.4%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 55% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Diest

$182 8.7%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 32.7% $60

Getting Around

Diest

$85 4.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 22% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Diest

$65 3.1%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 27.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $938 in Diest and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Diest pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Diest vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Diest

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

02:19 2:19 AM

6 h ahead of Diest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,516

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Diest Phuket 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Diest
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

Diest vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Diest. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Diest is about 4.4 times higher, 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: $938 in Diest versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Diest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,088 per month in Diest versus $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,088 in Diest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Diest. 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, Diest and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Diest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.