Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leeuwarden and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,588 in Leeuwarden, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Leeuwarden
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Leeuwarden Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Leeuwarden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,588

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,588 per month in Leeuwarden vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Leeuwarden $2,588
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,825 per month in Leeuwarden vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Leeuwarden $3,825
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $5,063 per month in Leeuwarden vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Leeuwarden $5,063
Phuket $2,845

Leeuwarden costs about 114% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Leeuwarden sits 91% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.50 €20.01

$4.40 ฿147

411.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 €99.2

$32.26 ฿1,078

245.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.61 €13.88

$8.76 ฿293

78.20%

Cappuccino

$3.86 €3.44

$2.83 ฿94.5

36.40%

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

$3.73 €3.32

$0.90 ฿30.14

314.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.54

$0.47 ฿15.56

508.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 €6.12

$2.55 ฿85.2

169.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 €4.75

$3.83 ฿128

39.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.73 ฿57.7

-32.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.47 ฿49.11

30.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.51 ฿50.6

61.59%

Eggs

$4.37 €3.89

$2.17 ฿72.7

101.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.73 €11.32

$19.70 ฿658

-35.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.38 €12.79

$3.34 ฿112

330.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 €14.49

$11.16 ฿373

45.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.85 ฿95.1

-18.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.70 ฿56.9

41.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.19 ฿73.3

-15.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 €4.67

$2.05 ฿68.4

156.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.45 ฿48.57

18.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.38 ฿46.16

39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.07 ฿35.69

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.51 ฿16.91

78.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.20 €12.63

$4.26 ฿142

233.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.02 €6.24

$18.58 ฿621

-62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.78 ฿59.7

5.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.85 ฿95.2

-40.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 €2.92

$2.26 ฿75.6

45.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$127 €113

$22.10 ฿738

475.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.78 €7.81

$3.01 ฿101

191.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.06 ฿35.34

275.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.0 €45.38

$3.86 ฿129

1221.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.45 ฿48.45

66.21%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

58.21%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

44.68%

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

$369 €328

$96.4 ฿3,221

283.11%

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

$43.01 €38.26

$11.04 ฿369

289.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.83 €40.77

$17.14 ฿573

167.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.73 €33.56

$52.2 ฿1,744

-27.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.00 €16.90

$11.16 ฿373

70.25%

Cinema Ticket

$16.54 €14.71

$7.81 ฿261

111.78%

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

$1,353 €1,204

$556 ฿18.6K

143.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K €20.0K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

94.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$64.2 ฿2,146

78.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.18 €34.85

$28.69 ฿959

36.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 €116

$95.4 ฿3,187

36.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$88.0 ฿2,940

54.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 €1,202

$737 ฿24.6K

83.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 €915

$462 ฿15.5K

122.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,851 €3,425

$2,095 ฿70.0K

83.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 €1,434

$1,201 ฿40.1K

34.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,638 €3,236

$3,488 ฿116.6K

4.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,248 €2,889

$2,523 ฿84.3K

28.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 €2,658

$501 ฿16.7K

496.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.38

5.57

-21.36%

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

Last update for Leeuwarden: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leeuwarden

$1K 39.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 55% $566

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leeuwarden

$458 17.7%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 72.8% $334

Eating Out

Leeuwarden

$345 13.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 64.8% $223

Groceries & Markets

Leeuwarden

$328 12.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 18.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Leeuwarden

$189 7.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 34.1% $64

Getting Around

Leeuwarden

$169 6.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 76.7% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Leeuwarden

$71 2.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 4.3% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,351 in Leeuwarden versus $737 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 run about 497% higher in Leeuwarden, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $112 in Leeuwarden versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leeuwarden

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

15:09 3:09 PM

5 h ahead of Leeuwarden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,992

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

On the map

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Between locations

Leeuwarden Phuket 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Leeuwarden
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

Leeuwarden vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leeuwarden costs about 114% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,882 per month in Leeuwarden and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,353 per month in Leeuwarden and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Leeuwarden, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Leeuwarden at $2,588. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leeuwarden it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $2,588 in Leeuwarden. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Leeuwarden makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.