Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montpellier and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,945 in Montpellier, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Montpellier
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Montpellier Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Montpellier

🇫🇷 France

$1,945

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,945 in Montpellier versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Montpellier $1,945
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,919 in Montpellier versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Montpellier $2,919
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,892 in Montpellier versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Montpellier $3,892
Phuket $2,867

Living in Montpellier is roughly 61% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montpellier is 44% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 €14.68

$4.58 ฿153

260.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.8 €63.9

$32.48 ฿1,086

121.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.92 €14.16

$8.55 ฿286

86.20%

Cappuccino

$3.64 €3.23

$2.72 ฿91.0

33.82%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$0.94 ฿31.25

218.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.49 ฿16.39

314.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.11

$2.59 ฿86.6

121.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 €3.95

$3.83 ฿128

15.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.74 ฿58.1

-19.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.43 ฿47.82

51.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$1.53 ฿51.0

72.55%

Eggs

$3.74 €3.33

$2.17 ฿72.7

72.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.65 €16.59

$19.15 ฿640

-2.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.83 €12.30

$3.30 ฿110

319.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.28 €21.60

$11.14 ฿372

117.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 €2.62

$2.95 ฿98.5

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.68 ฿56.1

42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$2.30 ฿76.8

27.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.13 ฿71.3

80.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.53 ฿51.1

52.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$1.36 ฿45.55

117.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.12 ฿37.44

55.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$0.55 ฿18.24

14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.68 €12.16

$4.26 ฿142

221.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.47 €6.64

$18.19 ฿608

-58.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.81 €3.38

$1.74 ฿58.2

118.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.47

$2.79 ฿93.3

-0.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 €1.77

$2.22 ฿74.1

-10.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.07 €0.96

$22.06 ฿737

-95.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 €4.42

$2.91 ฿97.3

70.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.01 ฿33.79

68.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.84 €29.22

$3.83 ฿128

757.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.49 ฿49.85

42.28%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

27.73%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

32.01%

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

$224 €200

$99.4 ฿3,321

125.79%

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

$16.56 €14.73

$11.28 ฿377

46.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 €28.98

$17.36 ฿580

87.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.70 €29.98

$52.3 ฿1,747

-35.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.18 €12.61

$10.85 ฿362

30.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.68 €12.16

$7.57 ฿253

80.71%

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

$735 €654

$558 ฿18.7K

31.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K €11.5K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

12.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 €78.8

$62.9 ฿2,102

40.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.5 €58.3

$28.58 ฿955

129.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.3

$96.1 ฿3,213

6.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 €158

$88.1 ฿2,943

102.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 €798

$729 ฿24.4K

22.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €645

$460 ฿15.4K

57.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 €1,317

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-29.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 €1,029

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-5.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,927 €4,382

$3,459 ฿115.6K

42.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,636 €3,234

$2,489 ฿83.2K

46.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,738 €2,435

$493 ฿16.5K

455.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

5.57

-31.60%

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

Last update for Montpellier: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montpellier

$725 37.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 36.6% $265

Groceries & Markets

Montpellier

$386 19.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 30.7% $119

Eating Out

Montpellier

$281 14.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 56.8% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montpellier

$274 14.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 53.2% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Montpellier

$196 10.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 36.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Montpellier

$61 3.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 10.4% $6.4

Getting Around

Montpellier

$23 1.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 72.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $897 in Montpellier and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montpellier pays 455% 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: $72.0 in Montpellier vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $386 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Montpellier

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

23:40 11:40 PM

5 h ahead of Montpellier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,454

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

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Between locations

Montpellier Phuket 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Montpellier vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 455% higher in Montpellier, 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: $897 in Montpellier versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Montpellier. 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 $72.0 in Montpellier. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,945 in Montpellier, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Montpellier. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montpellier, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montpellier 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 61% less than in Montpellier. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.