Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dessau

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,783 in Dessau, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Dessau
Learn more

Dessau Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Dessau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dessau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,783 in Dessau.

Phuket $1,278
Dessau $1,783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,867 in Dessau.

Phuket $2,216
Dessau $2,867

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,951 in Dessau.

Phuket $3,154
Dessau $3,951

Living in Phuket costs roughly 28% less than in Dessau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Dessau is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.48 €14.77

-72.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$84.5 €75.7

-61.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$15.40 €13.80

-42.79%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.41 €3.95

-35.83%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.80 €2.51

-68.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$4.27 €3.82

-88.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.90 €4.39

-47.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.43 €4.87

-32.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.34 €1.20

23.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.05 €1.84

-28.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.85 €3.45

-61.04%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.62 €3.25

-42.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.23 €9.17

86.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.72 €10.50

-71.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$21.39 €19.16

-48.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.31 €2.97

-11.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.05 €1.84

-17.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.13 €1.91

5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.60 €3.23

-42.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.26 €1.13

19.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.11 €0.99

24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.68 €1.51

-36.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.21 €1.09

-57.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.54 €8.55

-55.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.53 €5.85

187.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.08 €0.97

68.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.67 €1.50

70.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$2.59 €2.32

-44.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$65.3 €58.5

-13.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.01 €4.49

-39.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.49 €2.23

-59.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$33.16 €29.72

-88.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.94 €1.74

-24.23%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$32.9K €29.5K

-18.66%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$39.4K €35.3K

-32.26%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$279 €250

-65.43%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$25.46 €22.81

-55.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$51.1 €45.76

-67.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$68.5 €61.4

-1.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$22.08 €19.79

-51.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.09 €10.84

-37.97%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$308 €276

54.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$74.3 €66.5

-16.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$46.22 €41.42

-38.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$134 €120

-29.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$171 €153

-49.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$443 €397

61.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$434 €389

12.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$733 €657

162.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$981 €879

45.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,354 €3,006

24.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,755 €1,573

73.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,184 €1,957

-77.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.95

41.01%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dessau: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Dessau

$434 24.4% 11.5% $56

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Dessau

$322 18% 20.8% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Dessau

$355 19.9% 185% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dessau

$191 10.7% 57.1% $70

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dessau

$295 16.5% 142% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Dessau

$93 5.2% 12.7% $10

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Dessau

$93 5.2% 31.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $443 in Dessau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dessau pays about 4.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $84 in Dessau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $322 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇪 Dessau

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

08:00 8:00 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

68,116

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

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

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Dessau 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dessau

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 Dessau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 77% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $443 in Dessau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Dessau. 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 versus $84 in Dessau. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,783 in Dessau, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Dessau. 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 Dessau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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