Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Groningen

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,348 in Groningen, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Groningen
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Groningen Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Groningen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Groningen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,348 in Groningen.

Phuket $1,278
Groningen $2,348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,547 in Groningen.

Phuket $2,216
Groningen $3,547

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,745 in Groningen.

Phuket $3,154
Groningen $4,745

Living in Phuket costs roughly 46% less than in Groningen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Groningen is 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.31 €18.20

-77.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$103 €91.9

-68.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$15.42 €13.82

-42.87%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.65 €4.16

-39.14%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$3.90 €3.49

-77.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$3.12 €2.80

-84.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.54 €4.97

-53.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.47 €4.90

-32.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.46 €1.31

13.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.51 €2.25

-41.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.53 €2.27

-40.71%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.56 €4.09

-54.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.46 €11.16

53.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$13.13 €11.77

-74.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.91 €16.05

-39.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.96 €2.65

-1.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.52 €2.26

-32.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.65 €2.37

-15.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.82 €4.32

-56.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.97 €1.77

-23.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.56 €1.40

-11.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.30 €1.17

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.27 €1.14

-59.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$14.28 €12.79

-70.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.52 €5.85

188.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.45 €1.30

25.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.45 €2.20

15.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$4.15 €3.72

-65.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$67.2 €60.3

-15.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$6.65 €5.96

-54.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.66 €2.38

-61.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$28.78 €25.79

-87.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$2.66 €2.39

-44.74%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$42.1K €37.7K

-36.34%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$39.2K €35.2K

-31.98%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$229 €205

-57.87%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$20.69 €18.54

-45.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$50.3 €45.07

-66.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$37.83 €33.90

77.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.10 €13.53

-28.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$16.95 €15.19

-55.75%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,012 €1,803

-76.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$7,714 €6,912

46.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$108 €96.5

-42.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$44.69 €40.05

-36.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$105 €93.9

-10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$197 €177

-56.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,382 €1,238

-48.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$993 €890

-50.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,110 €1,891

-8.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,605 €1,439

-10.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$5,500 €4,929

-24.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,905 €3,500

-22.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,026 €2,712

-83.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.43

62.39%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Groningen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Groningen

$993 42.3% 102% $502

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Groningen

$344 14.7% 29.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Groningen

$300 12.8% 141% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Groningen

$205 8.7% 67.8% $83

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Groningen

$331 14.1% 172% $210

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Groningen

$72 3.1% 12.8% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Groningen

$104 4.4% 47% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,382 in Groningen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Groningen 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 $103 in Groningen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $344 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇱 Groningen

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

201,242

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Groningen 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Groningen

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 Groningen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Groningen. 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 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,382 in Groningen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Groningen. 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 $103 in Groningen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,348 in Groningen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Groningen. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

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

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Groningen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.