Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bethune

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,757 in Bethune, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Bethune
Learn more

Bethune Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Bethune

🇫🇷 France

$1,757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bethune

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 Bethune actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,757 in Bethune.

Phuket $1,294
Bethune $1,757

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,766 in Bethune.

Phuket $2,204
Bethune $2,766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,775 in Bethune.

Phuket $3,115
Bethune $3,775

Living in Phuket costs roughly 26% less than in Bethune, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Bethune is 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$18.11 €16.19

-75.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$73.9 €66.1

-56.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$13.47 €12.04

-35.41%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.26 €2.92

-16.56%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$2.84 €2.54

-67.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.68 €1.50

-70.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$6.69 €5.99

-62.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$5.48 €4.90

-33.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.31 €1.17

32.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.94 €1.74

-25.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.96 €2.65

-49.32%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$4.03 €3.60

-46.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$21.15 €18.91

-9.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$12.49 €11.17

-72.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$23.13 €20.68

-52.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.92 €2.61

0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.12 €1.90

-20.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.39 €2.13

-8.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$3.09 €2.76

-31.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$1.87 €1.67

-21.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$2.07 €1.85

-33.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.45 €1.30

-25.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.54 €0.49

1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$13.81 €12.35

-67.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$7.86 €7.03

132.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.82 €1.62

-2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.61 €2.34

10.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.83 €1.63

-20.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$49.19 €43.99

11.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.18 €1.95

-30.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$2.15 €1.92

-63.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$23.93 €21.40

-83.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$2.02 €1.81

-26.24%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$34.0K €30.4K

-20.96%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$38.8K €34.7K

-32.19%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$177 €158

-44.75%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$15.34 €13.72

-26.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$30.32 €27.11

-43.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$35.62 €31.85

91.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$17.08 €15.27

-36.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$9.87 €8.83

-24.72%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$628 €561

-15.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$8,269 €7,394

127.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$87.6 €78.3

-29.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$38.02 €34.00

-25.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$75.6 €67.6

27.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$95.0 €84.9

-8.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$777 €694

-7.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$629 €562

-19.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,488 €1,330

31.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,172 €1,048

19.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$4,193 €3,750

-0.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$3,156 €2,822

4.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$3,677 €3,288

-86.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.92

42.09%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bethune: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Bethune

$629 35.8% 23.6% $120

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Bethune

$360 20.5% 35% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Bethune

$223 12.7% 76.3% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Bethune

$133 7.6% 8.6% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Bethune

$287 16.3% 140% $167

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Bethune

$55 3.2% 33.4% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Bethune

$69 4% 5.1% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $777 in Bethune. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bethune pays about 7.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $74 in Bethune for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $360 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇫🇷 Bethune

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

00:22 12:22 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

24,992

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bethune 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bethune

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 Bethune: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Bethune. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 87% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $777 in Bethune. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $628 in Bethune. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Bethune. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,757 in Bethune, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bethune. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Bethune are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Bethune on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.