Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dortmund and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,050 in Dortmund, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,050

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,050 in Dortmund versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Dortmund $2,050
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,121 in Dortmund versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Dortmund $3,121
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,192 in Dortmund versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Dortmund $4,192
Phuket $3,154

Living in Dortmund is roughly 60% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dortmund is 51% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 €15.26

$4.47 ฿151

280.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €70.6

$32.41 ฿1,094

142.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.13

$8.81 ฿297

40.64%

Cappuccino

$3.79 €3.40

$2.83 ฿95.5

33.92%

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

$3.05 €2.74

$0.87 ฿29.43

250.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.56

$0.49 ฿16.67

481.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 €5.13

$2.56 ฿86.4

123.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 €4.53

$3.68 ฿124

36.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.66 ฿56.0

-16.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.13

$1.46 ฿49.35

62.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 €3.36

$1.50 ฿50.6

149.33%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.45

$2.09 ฿70.5

83.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 €13.64

$19.07 ฿644

-20.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 €10.32

$3.30 ฿111

247.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.96 €20.63

$10.91 ฿368

110.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 €2.97

$2.93 ฿99.0

12.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.69 ฿57.1

30.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.25 ฿75.8

-1.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.57

$2.08 ฿70.1

91.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.51 ฿51.0

-13.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.38 ฿46.56

15.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.07 ฿35.99

44.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.52 ฿17.52

109.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.45 €8.49

$4.20 ฿142

125.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.92

$18.79 ฿634

-64.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.82 ฿61.5

-39.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.84 ฿95.9

-39.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.06 €3.65

$1.45 ฿49.03

180.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 €64.2

$56.7 ฿1,913

26.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.75

$3.02 ฿102

75.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 €2.55

$1.02 ฿34.36

177.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.59 €33.77

$3.69 ฿125

918.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.93

$1.47 ฿49.81

45.58%

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

$32.3K €29.0K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

20.52%

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

$38.1K €34.2K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

42.81%

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

$405 €364

$96.4 ฿3,254

320.00%

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

$30.78 €27.66

$11.26 ฿380

173.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.56

$16.85 ฿569

200.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.43 €33.63

$67.2 ฿2,270

-44.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.30 €23.63

$10.73 ฿362

145.11%

Cinema Ticket

$16.61 €14.92

$7.50 ฿253

121.47%

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

$406 €365

$476 ฿16.1K

-14.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K €25.4K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

151.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 €82.2

$62.4 ฿2,106

46.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.5 €47.20

$28.41 ฿959

84.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 €78.8

$94.3 ฿3,184

-6.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$170 €153

$85.8 ฿2,898

98.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 €647

$716 ฿24.2K

0.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 €520

$491 ฿16.6K

17.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 €1,146

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-33.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 €995

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-22.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,345 €3,006

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-19.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,379 €2,138

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-21.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,269 €2,937

$502 ฿17.0K

550.83%

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 Dortmund: 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

Dortmund

$578 28.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 15.1% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dortmund

$486 23.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 74.4% $362

Groceries & Markets

Dortmund

$346 16.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 23.1% $80

Eating Out

Dortmund

$281 13.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.7% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Dortmund

$181 8.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 32.6% $59

Getting Around

Dortmund

$107 5.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 34.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Dortmund

$71 3.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 16.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $720 in Dortmund and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dortmund pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Dortmund vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

17:18 5:18 PM

6 h ahead of Dortmund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

600,933

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dortmund Phuket 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Dortmund
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

Dortmund vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Dortmund. 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 Dortmund is about 6.5 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: $720 in Dortmund versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $79 in Dortmund. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,050 per month in Dortmund versus $1,278 in Phuket – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,050 in Dortmund, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Dortmund. 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, Dortmund 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.

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