Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melun and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,687 in Melun, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Melun
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Melun Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Melun

🇫🇷 France

$1,687

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,687 in Melun versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Melun $1,687
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,511 in Melun versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Melun $2,511
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,335 in Melun versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Melun $3,335
Phuket $2,845

Living in Melun is roughly 40% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Melun is 24% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 €11.32

$4.40 ฿147

189.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 €47.20

$32.26 ฿1,078

64.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.41 €11.93

$8.76 ฿293

53.08%

Cappuccino

$2.99 €2.66

$2.83 ฿94.5

5.65%

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

$1.68 €1.50

$0.90 ฿30.14

86.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.47 ฿15.56

268.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.44 €6.62

$2.55 ฿85.2

191.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 €5.00

$3.83 ฿128

47.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.73 ฿57.7

-23.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.47 ฿49.11

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.51 ฿50.6

89.40%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.70

$2.17 ฿72.7

92.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.19 €18.85

$19.70 ฿658

7.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.88 €11.46

$3.34 ฿112

285.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.95 €20.41

$11.16 ฿373

105.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.85 ฿95.1

16.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.70 ฿56.9

24.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.19 ฿73.3

7.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 €2.74

$2.05 ฿68.4

50.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.45 ฿48.57

25.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.38 ฿46.16

44.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.07 ฿35.69

65.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$0.51 ฿16.91

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 €12.38

$4.26 ฿142

226.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.20 €7.29

$18.58 ฿621

-55.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.78 ฿59.7

38.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$2.85 ฿95.2

49.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.26 ฿75.6

-13.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.25 €42.03

$22.10 ฿738

113.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 €1.97

$3.01 ฿101

-26.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.06 ฿35.34

103.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.81 €21.18

$3.86 ฿129

516.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.45 ฿48.45

53.79%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

29.45%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

27.18%

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

$197 €176

$96.4 ฿3,221

104.71%

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

$15.10 €13.43

$11.04 ฿369

36.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.14 €25.03

$17.14 ฿573

64.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.17 €31.29

$52.2 ฿1,744

-32.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$9.97 €8.87

$7.81 ฿261

27.66%

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

$623 €554

$556 ฿18.6K

12.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,092 €7,197

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-30.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.0

$64.2 ฿2,146

34.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.76 €36.25

$28.69 ฿959

42.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$95.4 ฿3,187

8.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.4

$88.0 ฿2,940

15.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €660

$737 ฿24.6K

0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 €499

$462 ฿15.5K

21.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 €1,061

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-43.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$883 €785

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-26.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,959 €3,522

$3,488 ฿116.6K

13.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,978 €2,649

$2,523 ฿84.3K

18.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,499 €2,223

$501 ฿16.7K

399.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

5.57

-29.62%

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

Last update for Melun: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melun

$561 33.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 17.5% $98

Groceries & Markets

Melun

$372 22.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 27.9% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melun

$241 14.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 48.2% $116

Eating Out

Melun

$240 14.2%

Phuket

$121 10% 49.5% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Melun

$150 8.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 16.9% $25

Getting Around

Melun

$68 4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 42.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Melun

$55 3.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 23% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Melun and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melun pays 399% 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: $53.0 in Melun vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $372 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Melun

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

11:47 11:47 AM

5 h ahead of Melun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,367

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Melun Phuket 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Melun
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

Melun vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melun and Phuket differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,687 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 399% higher in Melun, 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: $742 in Melun versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,687 per month in Melun versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 114% less than in Melun. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,687 in Melun, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Melun. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Melun 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 40% less than in Melun. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.