Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Groningen and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,282 in Groningen, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Groningen
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Groningen Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Groningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,282

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,282 in Groningen versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Groningen $2,282
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,443 in Groningen versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Groningen $3,443
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,603 in Groningen versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Groningen $4,603
Phuket $2,867

Living in Groningen is roughly 89% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Groningen is 69% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 €17.63

$4.58 ฿153

332.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €91.0

$32.48 ฿1,086

214.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.34 €13.65

$8.55 ฿286

79.42%

Cappuccino

$4.60 €4.10

$2.72 ฿91.0

69.12%

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

$3.94 €3.50

$0.94 ฿31.25

319.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 €2.83

$0.49 ฿16.39

548.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$2.59 ฿86.6

119.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.87

$3.83 ฿128

42.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.74 ฿58.1

-14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.43 ฿47.82

83.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.53 ฿51.0

70.59%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$2.17 ฿72.7

109.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.72 €11.31

$19.15 ฿640

-33.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.16 €11.71

$3.30 ฿110

298.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.17 €16.16

$11.14 ฿372

63.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.95 ฿98.5

1.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.68 ฿56.1

42.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.30 ฿76.8

8.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 €4.23

$2.13 ฿71.3

123.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.53 ฿51.1

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.36 ฿45.55

15.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.12 ฿37.44

16.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.55 ฿18.24

130.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 €12.86

$4.26 ฿142

239.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$18.19 ฿608

-64.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.22

$1.74 ฿58.2

-20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.79 ฿93.3

-10.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.14 €3.68

$2.22 ฿74.1

86.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.5 €60.0

$22.06 ฿737

205.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.78 €6.03

$2.91 ฿97.3

132.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.01 ฿33.79

170.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.38 €25.24

$3.83 ฿128

640.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.49 ฿49.85

69.13%

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

$42.0K €37.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

57.25%

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

$39.1K €34.7K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

46.21%

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

$230 €204

$99.4 ฿3,321

130.97%

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

$20.48 €18.21

$11.28 ฿377

81.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.87 €43.47

$17.36 ฿580

181.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.10 €34.78

$52.3 ฿1,747

-25.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.07 €13.40

$10.85 ฿362

38.89%

Cinema Ticket

$16.69 €14.84

$7.57 ฿253

120.48%

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

$1,756 €1,562

$558 ฿18.7K

214.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,621 €6,779

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-33.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$62.9 ฿2,102

66.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.13 €39.25

$28.58 ฿955

54.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.8

$96.1 ฿3,213

7.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 €174

$88.1 ฿2,943

122.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,194

$729 ฿24.4K

83.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$931 €828

$460 ฿15.4K

102.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 €1,748

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-6.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 €1,310

$1,222 ฿40.8K

20.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,191 €4,618

$3,459 ฿115.6K

50.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,906 €3,474

$2,489 ฿83.2K

56.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,025 €2,691

$493 ฿16.5K

513.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

5.57

-38.42%

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

Last update for Groningen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Groningen

$931 40.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 50.6% $471

Groceries & Markets

Groningen

$346 15.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 22.7% $78

Eating Out

Groningen

$328 14.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 63% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Groningen

$299 13.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 57.2% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Groningen

$202 8.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 38.5% $78

Getting Around

Groningen

$104 4.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 62.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Groningen

$72 3.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 7% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,342 in Groningen and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Groningen pays 514% 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: $102 in Groningen vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Groningen

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:14 8:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

5 h ahead of Groningen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,242

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

Groningen Phuket 9,430 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

Groningen vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 89% lower than in Groningen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 514% higher in Groningen, 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: $1,342 in Groningen versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Groningen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $102 in Groningen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,282 in Groningen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Groningen. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Groningen 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 89% less than in Groningen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.