Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,254 in Gent, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Gent, Belgium
Phuket, Thailand
Gent
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,254
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,254 per month in Gent vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Gent $2,254
  • Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $3,450 per month in Gent vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Gent $3,450
  • Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $4,646 per month in Gent vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Gent $4,646
  • Phuket $3,115

Gent costs about 74% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gent sits 67% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gent
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.29 €19.85
$4.39 ฿147
407.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$113 €100
$32.31 ฿1,078
248.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$15.76 €14.04
$8.70 ฿290
81.15%
Cappuccino
$4.29 €3.82
$2.72 ฿90.9
57.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.58 €3.19
$0.93 ฿31.06
284.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 €2.70
$0.50 ฿16.67
506.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.67 €5.05
$2.53 ฿84.5
124.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.67 €5.05
$3.63 ฿121
56.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gent
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 €1.09
$1.74 ฿58.1
-29.31%
White Bread (500g)
$2.91 €2.59
$1.45 ฿48.42
100.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.08 €1.86
$1.50 ฿50.1
38.67%
Eggs
$4.18 €3.72
$2.17 ฿72.5
92.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.10 €17.90
$19.09 ฿637
5.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.35 €11.00
$3.40 ฿113
263.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.96 €17.78
$10.90 ฿364
83.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.72 €2.42
$2.94 ฿98.2
-7.48%
Banana (1kg)
$2.54 €2.26
$1.69 ฿56.5
50.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 €2.29
$2.19 ฿73.2
17.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.97 €2.64
$2.12 ฿70.9
40.09%
Potato (1kg)
$2.31 €2.06
$1.46 ฿48.68
58.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.97 €1.75
$1.37 ฿45.66
43.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.08 ฿35.91
26.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 €0.93
$0.55 ฿18.21
89.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.86 €11.46
$4.43 ฿148
190.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.74 €7.78
$18.25 ฿609
-52.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.77 ฿59.2
18.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 €2.18
$2.88 ฿96.2
-14.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Gent
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.33 €2.96
$1.45 ฿48.32
129.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$58.9 €52.5
$54.9 ฿1,832
7.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$10.82 €9.64
$1.51 ฿50.5
616.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.86 €2.55
$0.78 ฿25.90
266.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$51.4 €45.79
$3.84 ฿128
1238.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 €1.83
$1.49 ฿49.65
37.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.1K €31.3K
$26.9K ฿897.3K
30.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.5K €32.5K
$26.3K ฿879.4K
38.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gent
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$223 €199
$97.8 ฿3,265
127.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.82 €19.43
$11.29 ฿377
93.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.58 €43.28
$17.19 ฿574
182.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gent
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.80 €29.22
$68.3 ฿2,281
-52.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.13 €12.59
$10.92 ฿365
29.40%
Cinema Ticket
$16.21 €14.44
$7.43 ฿248
118.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gent
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$565 €503
$530 ฿17.7K
6.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.9K €20.4K
$18.8K ฿626.9K
22.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gent
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 €96.0
$61.7 ฿2,059
74.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.67 €43.36
$28.25 ฿943
72.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 €103
$96.0 ฿3,204
20.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 €129
$86.8 ฿2,898
66.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gent
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,159 €1,032
$721 ฿24.1K
60.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$903 €804
$509 ฿17.0K
77.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,806 €1,609
$1,950 ฿65.1K
-7.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,458 €1,299
$1,397 ฿46.6K
4.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,934 €4,395
$4,192 ฿139.9K
17.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,090 €2,753
$3,298 ฿110.1K
-6.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gent
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,615 €3,220
$492 ฿16.4K
635.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.36
5.57
-39.68%

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

Last update for Gent: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Gent
$903
Phuket
$509 43.7% $394
Groceries & Markets
Gent
$364
Phuket
$267 26.7% $97
Eating Out
Gent
$343
Phuket
$120 65.2% $224
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gent
$293
Phuket
$126 56.9% $167
Clothing & Footwear
Gent
$187
Phuket
$123 34.5% $65
Getting Around
Gent
$97
Phuket
$66 32.1% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Gent
$65
Phuket
$83 27.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,159 in Gent versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Gent are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $113 in Gent versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Gent
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
23:51 11:51 PM
05:51 5:51 AM
6 h ahead of Gent
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
237,000
79,308
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gent Phuket 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Gent
  • 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
Gent vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Gent?
Yes – Gent is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,381 per month in Gent and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $1,159 in Gent.
What are total monthly expenses in Gent and in Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,254 in Gent and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 43% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 7% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Gent or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Gent at $2,254. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gent it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Gent or Phuket more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Gent or Phuket?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gent makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Gent vs other spots: cost of living compared

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