Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilversum and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,915 in Hilversum, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hilversum, Netherlands
Phuket, Thailand
Hilversum
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,915
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,915 in Hilversum versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Hilversum $2,915
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,247 in Hilversum versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Hilversum $4,247
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,579 in Hilversum versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Hilversum $5,579
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Hilversum is roughly 128% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hilversum is 114% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hilversum
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$28.34 €25.46
$4.47 ฿151
534.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.5 €69.6
$32.41 ฿1,094
139.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$17.08 €15.34
$8.81 ฿297
93.87%
Cappuccino
$4.29 €3.85
$2.83 ฿95.5
51.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.02 €3.61
$0.87 ฿29.43
362.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 €2.69
$0.49 ฿16.67
512.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.48 €4.92
$2.56 ฿86.4
114.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.61 €5.04
$3.68 ฿124
52.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hilversum
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 €1.51
$1.66 ฿56.0
1.20%
White Bread (500g)
$2.19 €1.97
$1.46 ฿49.35
50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.10 €2.78
$1.50 ฿50.6
106.67%
Eggs
$5.06 €4.54
$2.09 ฿70.5
142.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.89 €12.48
$19.07 ฿644
-27.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$14.50 €13.02
$3.30 ฿111
339.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.70 €15.01
$10.91 ฿368
53.07%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 €2.20
$2.93 ฿99.0
-16.38%
Banana (1kg)
$2.77 €2.49
$1.69 ฿57.1
63.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.02 €1.82
$2.25 ฿75.8
-10.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.44 €3.99
$2.08 ฿70.1
113.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.78 €1.59
$1.51 ฿51.0
17.88%
Onion (1kg)
$2.01 €1.80
$1.38 ฿46.56
45.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.50 €1.35
$1.07 ฿35.99
40.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 €1.00
$0.52 ฿17.52
113.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.17 €10.93
$4.20 ฿142
189.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.72 €6.04
$18.79 ฿634
-64.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 €1.28
$1.82 ฿61.5
-21.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.60 €2.33
$2.84 ฿95.9
-8.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Hilversum
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.61 €3.24
$1.45 ฿49.03
148.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$67.8 €60.9
$56.7 ฿1,913
19.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.57 €5.01
$3.02 ฿102
84.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.42 €3.07
$1.02 ฿34.36
235.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.70 €20.39
$3.69 ฿125
515.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.46 €2.21
$1.47 ฿49.81
67.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.9K €37.7K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
56.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.2K €37.9K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
57.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hilversum
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$262 €235
$96.4 ฿3,254
171.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.44 €26.44
$11.26 ฿380
161.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$63.6 €57.2
$16.85 ฿569
277.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hilversum
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.5 €60.6
$67.2 ฿2,270
0.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.64 €31.12
$10.73 ฿362
222.83%
Cinema Ticket
$16.51 €14.83
$7.50 ฿253
120.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hilversum
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$700 €628
$476 ฿16.1K
47.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.5K €14.0K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
38.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hilversum
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$112 €101
$62.4 ฿2,106
79.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.96 €43.08
$28.41 ฿959
68.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.2 €82.8
$94.3 ฿3,184
-2.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 €131
$85.8 ฿2,898
69.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hilversum
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,667 €1,497
$716 ฿24.2K
132.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,430 €1,285
$491 ฿16.6K
191.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,731 €2,453
$1,927 ฿65.1K
41.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,323 €2,087
$1,431 ฿48.3K
62.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,907 €6,205
$4,175 ฿141.0K
65.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,239 €4,706
$3,045 ฿102.8K
72.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hilversum
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,008 €3,601
$502 ฿17.0K
698.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.3
5.57
-22.80%

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

Last update for Hilversum: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hilversum
$1.4K
Phuket
$491 65.7% $939
Eating Out
Hilversum
$396
Phuket
$122 69.3% $274
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hilversum
$355
Phuket
$124 64.9% $230
Groceries & Markets
Hilversum
$349
Phuket
$266 23.8% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Hilversum
$179
Phuket
$122 31.9% $57
Getting Around
Hilversum
$105
Phuket
$71 32.8% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Hilversum
$101
Phuket
$82 18.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,667 in Hilversum and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hilversum pays about 8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $77 in Hilversum vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇳🇱 Hilversum
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
23:05 11:05 PM
05:05 5:05 AM
6 h ahead of Hilversum
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
93,345
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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hilversum Phuket 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hilversum
  • 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
Hilversum vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Hilversum and in Phuket?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,915 in Hilversum and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Hilversum or Phuket?
Average pay in Hilversum is about 8 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 Hilversum and in Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,667 in Hilversum versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Hilversum and in Phuket?
A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 16% less than in Hilversum. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Hilversum and Phuket?
Childcare runs $700 in Hilversum versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,915 in Hilversum, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Hilversum. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Hilversum 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 Hilversum or Phuket safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Hilversum and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Hilversum or Phuket?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Hilversum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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