Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Melun

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,687 in Melun, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Melun
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Melun Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Melun

🇫🇷 France

$1,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Melun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,687 in Melun.

Phuket $1,208
Melun $1,687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,511 in Melun.

Phuket $2,027
Melun $2,511

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $3,335 in Melun.

Phuket $2,845
Melun $3,335

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Melun is 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$12.73 €11.32

-65.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$53.1 €47.20

-39.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$13.41 €11.93

-34.68%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.99 €2.66

-5.35%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.68 €1.50

-46.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.73 €1.54

-72.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$7.44 €6.62

-65.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$5.63 €5.00

-31.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.32 €1.17

31.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.89 €1.68

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.86 €2.54

-47.20%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.17 €3.70

-47.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$21.19 €18.85

-7.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$12.88 €11.46

-74.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$22.95 €20.41

-51.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.31 €2.94

-13.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.12 €1.88

-19.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.35 €2.09

-6.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.08 €2.74

-33.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.82 €1.62

-20.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.99 €1.77

-30.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.77 €1.58

-39.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.63 €0.56

-19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$13.92 €12.38

-69.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.20 €7.29

126.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.46 €2.19

-27.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$4.27 €3.80

-33.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.95 €1.73

15.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$47.25 €42.03

-53.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.21 €1.97

36.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.16 €1.92

-50.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$23.81 €21.18

-83.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.23 €1.98

-34.98%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$34.1K €30.3K

-22.75%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$34.3K €30.5K

-21.37%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$197 €176

-51.15%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$15.10 €13.43

-26.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$28.14 €25.03

-39.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$35.17 €31.29

48.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$9.97 €8.87

-21.66%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$623 €554

-10.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$8,092 €7,197

43.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$86.6 €77.0

-25.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$40.76 €36.25

-29.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$103 €92.1

-7.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$102 €90.4

-13.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$742 €660

-0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$561 €499

-17.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,193 €1,061

75.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$883 €785

36.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,959 €3,522

-11.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,978 €2,649

-15.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$2,499 €2,223

-79.96%

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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Melun: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Melun

$561 33.2% 21.3% $98

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Melun

$372 22.1% 38.6% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Melun

$241 14.3% 93.1% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Melun

$150 8.9% 20.4% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Melun

$240 14.2% 98% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Melun

$55 3.3% 18.7% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Melun

$68 4% 72.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $742 in Melun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melun pays 399% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $53.0 in Melun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $372 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇫🇷 Melun

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

07:22 7:22 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

42,367

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Melun 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Melun

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 Melun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Melun differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $1,687 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 399% lower in Melun. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $742 in Melun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $1,687 in Melun – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 114% less than in Melun. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,687 in Melun, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Melun. 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 Melun are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Melun. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.