Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mons

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,885 in Mons, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Mons, Belgium
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Mons
🇧🇪 Belgium
$1,885
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mons

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,885 in Mons.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Mons $1,885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,806 in Mons.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Mons $2,806

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,727 in Mons.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Mons $3,727

Living in Phuket costs roughly 32% less than in Mons, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Mons is 39% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Mons
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$16.72 €14.99
-73.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$81.4 €73.0
-60.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$10.17 €9.12
-13.37%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$2.41 €2.16
17.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.42
$2.76 €2.47
-68.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.66
$1.70 €1.52
-71.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$3.80 €3.40
-32.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$4.22 €3.78
-12.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Mons
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.16 €1.04
43.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.32
$2.27 €2.03
-35.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$2.20 €1.97
-31.82%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$4.04 €3.62
-48.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$18.56 €16.63
2.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$12.30 €11.02
-73.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$19.58 €17.54
-44.28%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$2.78 €2.49
5.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$2.46 €2.21
-31.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$2.54 €2.28
-11.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$2.95 €2.64
-29.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$2.18 €1.95
-30.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.54
$1.20 €1.07
15.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.97
$1.37 €1.23
-21.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$1.06 €0.95
-50.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$9.96 €8.92
-57.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$5.50 €4.93
241.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.89 €1.70
-3.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.92 €1.72
47.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Mons
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.00
$3.03 €2.72
-52.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$55.1 €49.33
2.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$11.24 €10.07
-73.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.34
$2.99 €2.68
-65.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$51.7 €46.35
-92.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.78
$1.82 €1.63
-19.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.7K
$35.7K €32.0K
-24.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.8K
$36.6K €32.8K
-27.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Mons
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,252
$224 €201
-57.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$21.11 €18.91
-46.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$47.18 €42.28
-64.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Mons
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,269
$26.73 €23.96
151.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$16.86 €15.10
-36.36%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$12.24 €10.96
-38.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Mons
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$556 €498
-14.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.1K
$21.3K €19.1K
-47.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Mons
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,105
$107 €96.0
-41.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$46.16 €41.37
-38.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,182
$109 €97.8
-13.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,896
$145 €130
-40.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Mons
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$683 €612
4.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$686 €615
-28.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$1,059 €949
81.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$998 €894
43.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$4,164 €3,731
0.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$2,879 €2,580
5.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Mons
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$2,819 €2,526
-82.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.2
74.06%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mons: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Mons
$686 39.8% $195
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Mons
$340 27.7% $74
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Mons
$293 135% $168
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Mons
$183 50.3% $61
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Mons
$238 95.9% $117
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Mons
$51 37.7% $31
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Mons
$93 32.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $683 in Mons. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mons pays about 5.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $81 in Mons for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $340 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇧🇪 Mons
🕒 Local time
15:48 3:48 PM
09:48 9:48 AM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
92,721
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Mons 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Mons

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 Mons: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Mons?
Phuket is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Mons?
On paper, salaries run 82% 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Mons?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $683 in Mons. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Mons?
All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,885 in Mons – Phuket is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Mons runs roughly 3% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Mons?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,885 in Mons, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Mons. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Mons?
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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Mons?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Mons are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Mons on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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