Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Diest

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,088 in Diest, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Diest
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Diest Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Diest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,088 in Diest.

Phuket $1,294
Diest $2,088

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,070 in Diest.

Phuket $2,204
Diest $3,070

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,052 in Diest.

Phuket $3,115
Diest $4,052

Living in Phuket costs roughly 38% less than in Diest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Diest is 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$21.93 €19.53

-79.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$85.0 €75.7

-61.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$11.89 €10.59

-26.83%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$3.54 €3.15

-23.16%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.94 €2.62

-68.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$2.80 €2.50

-82.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$5.38 €4.79

-52.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$4.35 €3.87

-16.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.26 €1.12

38.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$2.73 €2.43

-46.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$2.25 €2.00

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$3.93 €3.50

-44.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$15.20 €13.54

25.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$11.87 €10.57

-71.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$18.91 €16.84

-42.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$2.78 €2.48

5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$2.25 €2.01

-24.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$2.61 €2.32

-16.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$2.93 €2.61

-27.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$2.18 €1.94

-33.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$1.72 €1.54

-20.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$1.52 €1.36

-28.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$1.02 €0.91

-46.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$13.13 €11.69

-66.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$8.44 €7.52

116.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.95 €1.74

-9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$2.05 €1.82

40.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$3.07 €2.74

-52.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$54.4 €48.47

0.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$5.69 €5.07

-73.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$2.47 €2.20

-68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$30.18 €26.89

-87.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$2.07 €1.84

-28.02%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$36.0K €32.1K

-25.43%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$36.1K €32.1K

-26.94%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$209 €186

-53.10%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$20.59 €18.34

-45.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$51.4 €45.77

-66.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$36.60 €32.60

86.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$19.94 €17.76

-45.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$14.29 €12.73

-48.01%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$781 €696

-32.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$19.3K €17.2K

-2.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$103 €91.9

-40.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$48.33 €43.05

-41.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$106 €94.8

-9.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$147 €131

-40.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$938 €836

-23.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$825 €735

-38.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$1,367 €1,217

42.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$1,168 €1,040

19.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$4,180 €3,723

0.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$2,949 €2,627

11.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$2,138 €1,905

-77.01%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Diest: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Diest

$825 39.5% 62.1% $316

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Diest

$338 16.2% 26.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Diest

$281 13.4% 122% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Diest

$182 8.7% 48.5% $60

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Diest

$312 15% 161% $193

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Diest

$65 3.1% 21.6% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Diest

$85 4.1% 28.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $938 in Diest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Diest pays about 4.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $85 in Diest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $338 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇪 Diest

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

22:19 10:19 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

22,516

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Diest 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Diest

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 Diest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Diest. 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 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: $721 in Phuket versus $938 in Diest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Diest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $2,088 in Diest – Phuket is about 38% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,088 in Diest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Diest. 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 Diest are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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