Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Enschede and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,363 in Enschede, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Enschede
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Enschede Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Enschede

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,363

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,363 in Enschede versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Enschede $2,363
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,680 in Enschede versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Enschede $3,680
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,996 in Enschede versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Enschede $4,996
Phuket $2,845

Living in Enschede is roughly 96% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Enschede is 74% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.35 €18.99

$4.40 ฿147

385.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 €71.1

$32.26 ฿1,078

147.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.56 €13.84

$8.76 ฿293

77.63%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.62

$2.83 ฿94.5

43.46%

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

$3.55 €3.16

$0.90 ฿30.14

294.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.57

$0.47 ฿15.56

512.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.02 €5.35

$2.55 ฿85.2

136.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 €5.61

$3.83 ฿128

64.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.73 ฿57.7

-21.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.47 ฿49.11

70.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.51 ฿50.6

74.83%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$2.17 ฿72.7

102.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.75 €12.23

$19.70 ฿658

-30.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.53 €12.92

$3.34 ฿112

335.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.76 €13.13

$11.16 ฿373

32.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.85 ฿95.1

-5.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.70 ฿56.9

28.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.19 ฿73.3

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 €4.24

$2.05 ฿68.4

132.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$1.45 ฿48.57

115.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.38 ฿46.16

54.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.07 ฿35.69

12.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.51 ฿16.91

49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.10 €12.54

$4.26 ฿142

230.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 €5.91

$18.58 ฿621

-64.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.78 ฿59.7

-19.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.64

$2.85 ฿95.2

4.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 €2.64

$2.26 ฿75.6

30.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$113 €101

$22.10 ฿738

411.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.34

$3.01 ฿101

24.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.06 ฿35.34

141.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.53 €24.49

$3.86 ฿129

613.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.45 ฿48.45

75.17%

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

$41.9K €37.2K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

59.01%

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

$38.9K €34.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

44.38%

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

$262 €233

$96.4 ฿3,221

171.99%

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

$21.36 €19.00

$11.04 ฿369

93.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.78 €39.83

$17.14 ฿573

161.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.20 €30.42

$52.2 ฿1,744

-34.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.17 €21.50

$11.16 ฿373

116.58%

Cinema Ticket

$19.13 €17.02

$7.81 ฿261

144.94%

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

$1,198 €1,065

$556 ฿18.6K

115.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,959 €7,079

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-31.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 €83.1

$64.2 ฿2,146

45.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.39 €33.26

$28.69 ฿959

30.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 €81.5

$95.4 ฿3,187

-3.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €89.7

$88.0 ฿2,940

14.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 €1,187

$737 ฿24.6K

81.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 €892

$462 ฿15.5K

116.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 €2,232

$2,095 ฿70.0K

19.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,994 €1,774

$1,201 ฿40.1K

66.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,629 €4,118

$3,488 ฿116.6K

32.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,233 €2,876

$2,523 ฿84.3K

28.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,857 €2,541

$501 ฿16.7K

470.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

5.57

-17.41%

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

Last update for Enschede: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Enschede

$1K 42.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 53.9% $540

Groceries & Markets

Enschede

$338 14.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 20.5% $69

Eating Out

Enschede

$335 14.2%

Phuket

$121 10% 63.8% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Enschede

$328 13.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 62.1% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Enschede

$145 6.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 14.6% $21

Getting Around

Enschede

$141 6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 72.1% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Enschede

$72 3.1%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 6.4% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,334 in Enschede and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Enschede pays 471% 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: $80.0 in Enschede vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Enschede

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

5 h ahead of Enschede

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

161,235

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

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Between locations

Enschede Phuket 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Enschede vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Enschede and Phuket differ by about 96% in total monthly costs ($2,363 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 471% higher in Enschede, 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: $1,334 in Enschede versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,363 per month in Enschede versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 96% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 411% less than in Enschede. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,363 in Enschede, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Enschede. 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, Enschede 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 96% less than in Enschede. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.