Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mortsel and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,145 in Mortsel, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,145

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,145 per month in Mortsel vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Mortsel $2,145
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,187 per month in Mortsel vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Mortsel $3,187
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,229 per month in Mortsel vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Mortsel $4,229
Phuket $3,154

Mortsel costs about 68% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mortsel sits 58% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.32

$4.47 ฿151

406.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.3 €86.5

$32.41 ฿1,094

197.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.17

$8.81 ฿297

53.80%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.81

$2.83 ฿95.5

50.18%

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

$3.47 €3.11

$0.87 ฿29.43

298.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 €2.58

$0.49 ฿16.67

485.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.99

$2.56 ฿86.4

116.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.13

$3.68 ฿124

55.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.22

$1.66 ฿56.0

-18.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 €2.59

$1.46 ฿49.35

97.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €2.01

$1.50 ฿50.6

48.67%

Eggs

$3.94 €3.54

$2.09 ฿70.5

88.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.51 €14.83

$19.07 ฿644

-13.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 €10.87

$3.30 ฿111

266.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.81 €20.49

$10.91 ฿368

109.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$2.93 ฿99.0

-4.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

$1.69 ฿57.1

40.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$2.25 ฿75.8

15.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.56

$2.08 ฿70.1

37.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.51 ฿51.0

44.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.38 ฿46.56

34.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.22

$1.07 ฿35.99

26.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.52 ฿17.52

111.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 €11.97

$4.20 ฿142

217.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.64 €7.76

$18.79 ฿634

-54.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.82 ฿61.5

9.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.84 ฿95.9

-19.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.72

$1.45 ฿49.03

108.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 €50.5

$56.7 ฿1,913

-0.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.89

$3.02 ฿102

80.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 €2.47

$1.02 ฿34.36

169.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.23 €40.63

$3.69 ฿125

1125.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.89

$1.47 ฿49.81

42.86%

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

$35.5K €31.9K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

32.58%

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

$36.4K €32.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

36.35%

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

$220 €198

$96.4 ฿3,254

128.58%

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

$20.70 €18.59

$11.26 ฿380

83.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.54 €42.70

$16.85 ฿569

182.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.18 €36.99

$67.2 ฿2,270

-38.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 €18.32

$10.73 ฿362

90.12%

Cinema Ticket

$15.81 €14.20

$7.50 ฿253

110.80%

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

$569 €511

$476 ฿16.1K

19.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K €19.4K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

91.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$62.4 ฿2,106

82.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.83 €42.96

$28.41 ฿959

68.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.7

$94.3 ฿3,184

13.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €134

$85.8 ฿2,898

73.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 €836

$716 ฿24.2K

30.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 €730

$491 ฿16.6K

65.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 €1,239

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-28.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,029

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-19.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,305 €3,867

$4,175 ฿141.0K

3.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,739 €2,460

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-10.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,361 €2,121

$502 ฿17.0K

370.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Mortsel: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mortsel

$813 37.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 39.6% $322

Groceries & Markets

Mortsel

$359 16.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.8% $93

Eating Out

Mortsel

$337 15.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 63.9% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mortsel

$288 13.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 56.9% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Mortsel

$187 8.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35% $66

Getting Around

Mortsel

$88 4.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 19.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mortsel

$73 3.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 13% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $931 in Mortsel 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 Mortsel are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Mortsel versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

08:01 8:01 AM

6 h ahead of Mortsel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,525

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mortsel Phuket 9,600 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mortsel
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

Mortsel vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mortsel is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,218 per month in Mortsel and $1,917 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $931 in Mortsel.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Mortsel and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Mortsel, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Mortsel at $2,145. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mortsel it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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