Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Antwerp

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,202 in Antwerp, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Antwerp, Belgium
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Antwerp
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Antwerp

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Antwerp actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,202 in Antwerp.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Antwerp $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,326 in Antwerp.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Antwerp $3,326

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,449 in Antwerp.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Antwerp $4,449

Living in Phuket costs roughly 42% less than in Antwerp, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Antwerp is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Antwerp
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$23.81 €21.34
-81.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$95.7 €85.7
-66.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$13.19 €11.82
-33.21%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$4.27 €3.83
-33.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.42
$3.56 €3.19
-75.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.66
$3.48 €3.11
-85.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$5.57 €4.99
-54.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$6.26 €5.61
-41.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Antwerp
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.39 €1.25
19.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.32
$2.77 €2.48
-47.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$2.21 €1.98
-32.13%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$3.97 €3.56
-47.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$16.34 €14.64
16.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$11.81 €10.58
-72.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$22.46 €20.12
-51.42%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$2.97 €2.66
-1.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$2.40 €2.15
-29.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$2.59 €2.32
-13.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$3.42 €3.06
-39.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$2.64 €2.37
-42.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.54
$1.77 €1.59
-22.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.97
$1.55 €1.39
-30.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$1.15 €1.03
-54.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$13.03 €11.68
-67.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$8.88 €7.96
111.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.82 €1.63
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$2.07 €1.85
37.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Antwerp
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.00
$3.36 €3.01
-56.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$55.4 €49.60
2.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$5.73 €5.14
-47.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.34
$2.72 €2.44
-62.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$43.85 €39.30
-91.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.78
$2.05 €1.84
-28.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.7K
$35.5K €31.8K
-24.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.8K
$37.3K €33.4K
-28.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Antwerp
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,252
$208 €186
-53.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$22.06 €19.77
-48.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$47.17 €42.27
-64.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Antwerp
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,269
$37.59 €33.68
78.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$26.44 €23.69
-59.42%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$15.40 €13.80
-51.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Antwerp
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$1,616 €1,448
-70.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.1K
$33.3K €29.9K
-66.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Antwerp
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,105
$114 €102
-45.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$52.9 €47.38
-46.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,182
$105 €94.0
-10.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,896
$177 €158
-51.40%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Antwerp
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$1,061 €951
-32.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$856 €767
-42.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$1,604 €1,437
20.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$1,317 €1,180
8.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$4,329 €3,879
-3.55%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$2,965 €2,657
2.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Antwerp
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$3,012 €2,699
-83.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.53
57.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Antwerp: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Antwerp
$856 74.4% $365
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Antwerp
$361 35.6% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Antwerp
$277 122% $152
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Antwerp
$202 65.6% $80
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Antwerp
$350 187% $228
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Antwerp
$68 16.8% $14
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Antwerp
$88 24.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,061 in Antwerp. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Antwerp pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $96 in Antwerp for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $361 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇧🇪 Antwerp
🕒 Local time
17:18 5:18 PM
11:18 11:18 AM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
525,935
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Antwerp 9,600 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Antwerp

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
Phuket vs Antwerp: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Phuket and in Antwerp?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,202 in Antwerp, so Phuket is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Phuket and in Antwerp?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,061 in Antwerp. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Antwerp. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Phuket or Antwerp?
All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,202 in Antwerp – Phuket is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,202 in Antwerp, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Antwerp. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Phuket and Antwerp?
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.
Is Phuket or Antwerp safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Antwerp are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Phuket and Antwerp?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Antwerp on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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