Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dortmund

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,050 in Dortmund, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Dortmund
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Dortmund Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Dortmund

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dortmund

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,050 in Dortmund.

Phuket $1,278
Dortmund $2,050

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,121 in Dortmund.

Phuket $2,216
Dortmund $3,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,192 in Dortmund.

Phuket $3,154
Dortmund $4,192

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Dortmund is 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.99 €15.26

-73.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$78.5 €70.6

-58.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.39 €11.13

-28.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.79 €3.40

-25.33%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.05 €2.74

-71.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.85 €2.56

-82.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.71 €5.13

-55.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.04 €4.53

-26.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.38 €1.24

20.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.37 €2.13

-38.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.74 €3.36

-59.89%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.84 €3.45

-45.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$15.18 €13.64

25.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.48 €10.32

-71.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$22.96 €20.63

-52.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.30 €2.97

-11.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.20 €1.98

-23.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.21 €1.98

1.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.98 €3.57

-47.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.30 €1.17

16.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.60 €1.43

-13.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.55 €1.39

-30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.09 €0.98

-52.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.45 €8.49

-55.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.59 €5.92

185.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.10 €0.99

65.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.71 €1.53

66.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$4.06 €3.65

-64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$71.4 €64.2

-20.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.29 €4.75

-42.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.83 €2.55

-63.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$37.59 €33.77

-90.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.14 €1.93

-31.31%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$32.3K €29.0K

-17.02%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$38.1K €34.2K

-29.98%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$405 €364

-76.19%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$30.78 €27.66

-63.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$50.7 €45.56

-66.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$37.43 €33.63

79.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$26.30 €23.63

-59.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$16.61 €14.92

-54.85%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$406 €365

17.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$28.3K €25.4K

-60.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$91.5 €82.2

-31.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$52.5 €47.20

-45.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$87.7 €78.8

7.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$170 €153

-49.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$720 €647

-0.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$578 €520

-15.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,275 €1,146

51.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,108 €995

29.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,345 €3,006

24.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,379 €2,138

27.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,269 €2,937

-84.63%

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 Dortmund: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Dortmund

$578 28.2% 17.8% $88

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Dortmund

$346 16.9% 30.1% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Dortmund

$486 23.7% 291% $362

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dortmund

$181 8.8% 48.3% $59

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dortmund

$281 13.7% 131% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Dortmund

$71 3.5% 14.1% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Dortmund

$107 5.2% 51.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $720 in Dortmund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dortmund pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $79 in Dortmund for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $346 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇪 Dortmund

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

12:09 12:09 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

600,933

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Dortmund 9,390 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dortmund

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 Dortmund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Dortmund. 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 85% 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 $720 in Dortmund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $79 in Dortmund. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,050 in Dortmund – a 60% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,050 in Dortmund, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Dortmund. 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 Dortmund are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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