Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,832 in Leiden, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
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Leiden Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,832

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,832 in Leiden versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Leiden $2,832
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,974 in Leiden versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Leiden $3,974
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,115 in Leiden versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Leiden $5,115
Phuket $2,867

Living in Leiden is roughly 135% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Leiden is 110% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.80 €17.61

$4.58 ฿153

332.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.1 €80.2

$32.48 ฿1,086

177.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.63 €12.12

$8.55 ฿286

59.42%

Cappuccino

$3.81 €3.39

$2.72 ฿91.0

40.07%

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

$3.48 €3.10

$0.94 ฿31.25

270.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$0.49 ฿16.39

508.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 €6.98

$2.59 ฿86.6

203.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 €4.57

$3.83 ฿128

33.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.74 ฿58.1

-26.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.43 ฿47.82

57.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.53 ฿51.0

56.86%

Eggs

$4.70 €4.18

$2.17 ฿72.7

116.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.75 €13.12

$19.15 ฿640

-22.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.04 €12.49

$3.30 ฿110

325.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 €14.37

$11.14 ฿372

45.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$2.95 ฿98.5

-2.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.68 ฿56.1

42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.30 ฿76.8

-13.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 €4.19

$2.13 ฿71.3

121.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.53 ฿51.1

11.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.36 ฿45.55

45.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.12 ฿37.44

19.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.55 ฿18.24

29.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.16 €11.70

$4.26 ฿142

208.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 €6.37

$18.19 ฿608

-60.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.74 ฿58.2

-13.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.79 ฿93.3

-3.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.22 ฿74.1

26.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 €114

$22.06 ฿737

481.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 €3.03

$2.91 ฿97.3

17.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 €2.96

$1.01 ฿33.79

229.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.48 €20.00

$3.83 ฿128

486.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.49 ฿49.85

61.74%

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

$41.6K €37.0K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

56.01%

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

$39.4K €35.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

47.52%

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

$279 €249

$99.4 ฿3,321

181.25%

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

$15.47 €13.76

$11.28 ฿377

37.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.67 €44.17

$17.36 ฿580

186.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.45 €40.42

$52.3 ฿1,747

-13.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.38 €10.12

$10.85 ฿362

4.88%

Cinema Ticket

$14.58 €12.97

$7.57 ฿253

92.60%

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

$1,769 €1,573

$558 ฿18.7K

216.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.7K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

14.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$62.9 ฿2,102

82.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.01 €41.81

$28.58 ฿955

64.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$96.1 ฿3,213

19.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$88.1 ฿2,943

58.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,728 €1,537

$729 ฿24.4K

136.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,253

$460 ฿15.4K

206.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,517 €2,239

$2,096 ฿70.0K

20.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 €1,748

$1,222 ฿40.8K

60.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,369 €6,554

$3,459 ฿115.6K

113.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,856 €5,209

$2,489 ฿83.2K

135.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,984 €3,544

$493 ฿16.5K

708.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

5.57

-49.73%

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

Last update for Leiden: 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

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 67.3% $949

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$345 12.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 62.9% $217

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$337 11.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 20.6% $70

Eating Out

Leiden

$320 11.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 62.1% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$187 6.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 33.7% $63

Getting Around

Leiden

$160 5.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 75.6% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 9.6% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,728 in Leiden and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Leiden pays 708% 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: $90.0 in Leiden vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

17:32 5:32 PM

5 h ahead of Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

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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Highest

Between locations

Leiden Phuket 9,580 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Leiden
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

Leiden vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 135% lower than in Leiden. 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 708% higher in Leiden, 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: $1,728 in Leiden versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Leiden. 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 $90.0 in Leiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,832 in Leiden, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Leiden. 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, Leiden 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 135% less than in Leiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.