Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middelburg, Netherlands and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,318 in Middelburg, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Middelburg, Netherlands
Phuket, Thailand
Middelburg
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,318
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,318 per month in Middelburg vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Middelburg $2,318
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,367 per month in Middelburg vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Middelburg $3,367
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,417 per month in Middelburg vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Middelburg $4,417
  • Phuket $3,154

Middelburg costs about 81% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Middelburg sits 70% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Middelburg
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.41 €12.01
$4.47 ฿151
200.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.0 €79.7
$32.41 ฿1,093
174.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.13 €10.86
$8.81 ฿297
37.68%
Cappuccino
$4.06 €3.64
$2.83 ฿95.4
43.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 €3.05
$0.87 ฿29.41
291.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 €2.96
$0.49 ฿16.65
575.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.99 €6.26
$2.56 ฿86.3
173.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.78 €6.07
$3.68 ฿124
84.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Middelburg
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 €1.20
$1.66 ฿55.9
-19.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.27 €2.04
$1.46 ฿49.31
55.48%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 €1.77
$1.50 ฿50.5
32.00%
Eggs
$4.62 €4.13
$2.09 ฿70.5
121.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.23 €10.95
$19.07 ฿643
-35.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.02 €11.66
$3.30 ฿111
294.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.20 €17.20
$10.91 ฿368
75.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.57 €2.30
$2.93 ฿98.9
-12.29%
Banana (1kg)
$2.19 €1.96
$1.69 ฿57.0
29.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 €1.82
$2.25 ฿75.8
-9.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.68 €3.30
$2.08 ฿70.0
76.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 €1.18
$1.51 ฿51.0
-12.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 €1.02
$1.38 ฿46.52
-17.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 €1.03
$1.07 ฿35.96
7.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 €0.85
$0.52 ฿17.51
82.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.86 €10.62
$4.20 ฿142
182.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.03 €5.40
$18.79 ฿634
-67.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 €1.20
$1.82 ฿61.5
-26.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 €1.69
$2.84 ฿95.8
-33.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Middelburg
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.45 ฿48.98
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.72 €4.23
$3.02 ฿102
56.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 €2.98
$1.02 ฿34.33
226.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.38 €29.90
$3.69 ฿125
804.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.33 €2.09
$1.47 ฿49.76
58.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.5K €37.2K
$26.8K ฿903.4K
55.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.8K €34.7K
$26.7K ฿900.5K
45.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Middelburg
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 €133
$96.4 ฿3,251
53.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.05 €25.12
$11.26 ฿380
149.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.3 €48.67
$16.85 ฿568
222.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Middelburg
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.51 €39.86
$67.2 ฿2,268
-33.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.17 €12.69
$10.73 ฿362
32.06%
Cinema Ticket
$9.92 €8.88
$7.50 ฿253
32.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Middelburg
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,582 €2,312
$476 ฿16.1K
442.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K €10.6K
$11.3K ฿380.0K
5.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Middelburg
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.7 €85.7
$62.4 ฿2,104
53.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.25 €38.73
$28.41 ฿958
52.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 €94.2
$94.3 ฿3,181
11.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$135 €121
$85.8 ฿2,895
57.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Middelburg
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,418 €1,270
$716 ฿24.2K
98.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,244 €1,114
$491 ฿16.6K
153.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,001 €1,792
$1,927 ฿65.0K
3.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,864 €1,670
$1,431 ฿48.3K
30.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Middelburg
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,144 €3,712
$502 ฿16.9K
725.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.4
5.57
-38.96%

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

Last update for Middelburg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Middelburg
$1.2K
Phuket
$491 60.5% $753
Groceries & Markets
Middelburg
$319
Phuket
$266 16.6% $53
Eating Out
Middelburg
$268
Phuket
$122 54.6% $146
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Middelburg
$230
Phuket
$124 46% $106
Clothing & Footwear
Middelburg
$171
Phuket
$122 28.6% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Middelburg
$64
Phuket
$82 27.8% $18
Getting Around
Middelburg
$21 *
Phuket
$71 230% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,418 in Middelburg versus $716 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 in Middelburg are about 8.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Middelburg versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇱 Middelburg
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
00:14 12:14 AM
06:14 6:14 AM
6 h ahead of Middelburg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
40,345
79,308
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Middelburg Phuket 9,650 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Middelburg
  • 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
Middelburg vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Middelburg?
Yes – Middelburg is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,477 per month in Middelburg and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,418 in Middelburg.
What are total monthly expenses in Middelburg and in Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,318 in Middelburg and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 45% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $2,582 per month in Middelburg and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Middelburg or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Middelburg at $2,318. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Middelburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Middelburg or Phuket more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Middelburg or Phuket?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Middelburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Middelburg vs other spots: cost of living compared

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