Cost of Living Comparison Between Neu-Ulm and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Neu-Ulm and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,970 in Neu-Ulm versus $1,264 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,986 in Neu-Ulm versus $2,256 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,001 in Neu-Ulm versus $3,248 in Phuket.

Living in Neu-Ulm is roughly 56% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Neu-Ulm is 48% above, Phuket is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 €15.16

$4.48 ฿150

288.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 €58.3

$45.59 ฿1,525

46.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 €10.11

$8.76 ฿293

32.42%

Cappuccino

$3.79 €3.30

$2.97 ฿99.3

27.61%

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

$2.82 €2.46

$0.69 ฿22.96

308.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 €2.22

$0.39 ฿13.07

553.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 €4.00

$2.53 ฿84.7

81.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 €4.12

$3.75 ฿125

26.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.12

$2.15 ฿71.8

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €1.97

$1.82 ฿60.7

23.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.35 €2.92

$2.18 ฿73.1

53.67%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.51

$2.25 ฿75.2

79.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.71 €12.82

$20.00 ฿669

-26.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.84 €12.93

$3.63 ฿121

308.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €17.59

$13.56 ฿453

48.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 €2.78

$3.24 ฿109

-1.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.55

$1.64 ฿54.7

8.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €1.98

$2.33 ฿78.0

-2.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.16 €4.50

$2.07 ฿69.3

149.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.33

$1.55 ฿51.8

-1.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.43

$1.46 ฿48.67

12.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.62

$0.98 ฿32.94

89.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.03

$0.48 ฿16.13

145.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.60 €8.37

$4.35 ฿146

120.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.84

$18.57 ฿621

-70.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.97

$1.86 ฿62.1

-40.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.54

$2.65 ฿88.8

-33.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.41 €2.97

$1.42 ฿47.40

140.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.2 €48.99

$11.57 ฿387

385.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 €3.34

$3.17 ฿106

20.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.71 €3.23

$1.03 ฿34.51

260.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.09 €24.49

$13.89 ฿465

102.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.74

$1.34 ฿44.96

48.51%

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

$31.7K €27.6K

$27.8K ฿929.6K

14.09%

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

$36.8K €32.1K

$33.4K ฿1.1M

10.24%

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

$268 €234

$123 ฿4,116

117.87%

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

$34.95 €30.47

$13.77 ฿461

153.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 €48.56

$18.33 ฿613

203.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 €35.00

$60.7 ฿2,030

-33.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.08 €22.74

$17.16 ฿574

51.98%

Cinema Ticket

$14.08 €12.27

$8.87 ฿297

58.74%

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

$361 €315

$688 ฿23.0K

-47.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K €11.6K

$15.8K ฿527.8K

-15.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 €66.3

$59.3 ฿1,984

28.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.90 €42.63

$34.69 ฿1,160

40.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 €62.9

$115 ฿3,853

-37.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €88.9

$83.8 ฿2,802

21.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €743

$621 ฿20.8K

37.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$656 €572

$446 ฿14.9K

47.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 €1,015

$2,034 ฿68.0K

-42.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 €1,066

$1,496 ฿50.0K

-18.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,733 €4,998

$3,455 ฿115.6K

65.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,636 €4,042

$2,531 ฿84.7K

83.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,693 €3,220

$494 ฿16.5K

648.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

5.33

-25.52%

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

Last update for Neu-Ulm: July 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $853 in Neu-Ulm and $621 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Neu-Ulm pays 648% 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: $67.0 in Neu-Ulm vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $291 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Neu-Ulm vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Neu-Ulm. 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 648% higher in Neu-Ulm, 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: $853 in Neu-Ulm versus $621 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $361 in Neu-Ulm versus $688 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Neu-Ulm. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,264 in Phuket versus $1,970 in Neu-Ulm, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Neu-Ulm. 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 $1,264 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Neu-Ulm 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 56% less than in Neu-Ulm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.