Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geel and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,037 in Geel, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Geel, Belgium
Phuket, Thailand
Geel
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,037
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,037 in Geel versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Geel $2,037
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,915 in Geel versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Geel $2,915
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,793 in Geel versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Geel $3,793
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Geel is roughly 59% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Geel is 50% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Geel
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.27 €16.41
$4.47 ฿151
308.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.9 €69.1
$32.41 ฿1,094
137.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 €9.47
$8.81 ฿297
19.64%
Cappuccino
$3.94 €3.54
$2.83 ฿95.5
39.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.70 €2.43
$0.87 ฿29.43
210.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.19 €2.87
$0.49 ฿16.67
551.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.52 €4.06
$2.56 ฿86.4
76.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.42 €3.07
$3.68 ฿124
-7.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Geel
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.28 €1.15
$1.66 ฿56.0
-22.89%
White Bread (500g)
$2.67 €2.40
$1.46 ฿49.35
82.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 €2.43
$1.50 ฿50.6
80.67%
Eggs
$5.29 €4.76
$2.09 ฿70.5
153.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.60 €15.81
$19.07 ฿644
-7.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.21 €11.86
$3.30 ฿111
300.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.92 €19.69
$10.91 ฿368
100.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 €2.82
$2.93 ฿99.0
7.17%
Banana (1kg)
$2.47 €2.22
$1.69 ฿57.1
46.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 €2.54
$2.25 ฿75.8
25.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.15 €3.73
$2.08 ฿70.1
99.52%
Potato (1kg)
$2.46 €2.21
$1.51 ฿51.0
62.91%
Onion (1kg)
$2.14 €1.92
$1.38 ฿46.56
55.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.87 €1.68
$1.07 ฿35.99
74.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 €0.62
$0.52 ฿17.52
32.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.61 €12.22
$4.20 ฿142
224.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.90 €8.00
$18.79 ฿634
-52.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.62 €2.35
$1.82 ฿61.5
43.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.70
$2.84 ฿95.9
5.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Geel
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.26 €2.92
$1.45 ฿49.03
124.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$68.9 €61.9
$56.7 ฿1,913
21.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.94 €2.64
$3.02 ฿102
-2.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.22 €2.00
$1.02 ฿34.36
117.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.50 €36.38
$3.69 ฿125
997.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.84 €1.66
$1.47 ฿49.81
25.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.2K €21.8K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
-9.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.7K €32.1K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
33.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Geel
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$168 €151
$96.4 ฿3,254
74.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.24 €19.08
$11.26 ฿380
88.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.8 €45.63
$16.85 ฿569
201.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Geel
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.64 €34.71
$67.2 ฿2,270
-42.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.62 €14.03
$7.50 ฿253
108.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Geel
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,617 €1,453
$476 ฿16.1K
239.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$36.0K €32.4K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
219.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Geel
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 €91.2
$62.4 ฿2,106
62.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.70 €41.05
$28.41 ฿959
60.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 €101
$94.3 ฿3,184
19.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$144 €129
$85.8 ฿2,898
67.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Geel
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,015 €912
$716 ฿24.2K
41.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$789 €708
$491 ฿16.6K
60.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,066 €958
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-44.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$940 €844
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-34.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,968 €3,565
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-4.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,415 €3,068
$3,045 ฿102.8K
12.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Geel
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,369 €2,128
$502 ฿17.0K
371.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3
5.57
-46.14%

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

Last update for Geel: 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
Geel
$789
Phuket
$491 37.8% $298
Groceries & Markets
Geel
$383
Phuket
$266 30.5% $117
Eating Out
Geel
$278
Phuket
$122 56.2% $156
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Geel
$240
Phuket
$124 48.2% $116
Clothing & Footwear
Geel
$182
Phuket
$122 32.9% $60
Getting Around
Geel
$96
Phuket
$71 26.5% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Geel
$70
Phuket
$82 17.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,015 in Geel and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Geel pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $77 in Geel vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Geel
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
17:47 5:47 PM
23:47 11:47 PM
6 h ahead of Geel
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
40,781
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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Geel Phuket 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Geel
  • 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
Geel vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Geel and in Phuket?
Geel and Phuket differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($2,037 vs $1,278 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Geel or Phuket?
Average pay in Geel is about 4.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Geel and in Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,015 in Geel versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $77 in Geel. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Geel or Phuket?
All in, you’ll spend $2,037 per month in Geel versus $1,278 in Phuket – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,037 in Geel, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Geel. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Geel and Phuket?
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.
Is Geel or Phuket safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Geel 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.
Where should expats move: Geel or Phuket?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Geel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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