Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Oberhausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,989 in Oberhausen, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Oberhausen, Germany
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Oberhausen
🇩🇪 Germany
$1,989
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Oberhausen

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,989 in Oberhausen, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Oberhausen $1,989

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,841 in Oberhausen, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Oberhausen $2,841

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,693 in Oberhausen, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Oberhausen $3,693

Phuket is about 36% cheaper than Oberhausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Oberhausen is 46% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Oberhausen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$16.63 €14.94
-73.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$83.2 €74.8
-61.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$13.67 €12.28
-35.55%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$4.06 €3.65
-30.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$3.17 €2.84
-72.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$3.15 €2.83
-84.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$5.54 €4.98
-53.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$5.52 €4.95
-33.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Oberhausen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.25 €1.12
32.80%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$2.19 €1.97
-33.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$3.07 €2.75
-51.14%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$3.73 €3.35
-43.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$13.60 €12.22
40.22%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$11.83 €10.62
-72.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$23.12 €20.77
-52.81%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$2.97 €2.66
-1.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$2.05 €1.84
-17.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$2.18 €1.95
3.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$3.96 €3.56
-47.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.37 €1.23
10.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$1.31 €1.17
5.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$1.57 €1.41
-31.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$1.08 €0.97
-51.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$9.43 €8.47
-55.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$5.51 €4.95
241.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.06 €0.95
71.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.66 €1.49
71.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Oberhausen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$3.27 €2.94
-55.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$50.6 €45.41
12.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$4.95 €4.45
-38.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$2.95 €2.65
-65.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$33.91 €30.46
-89.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$2.25 €2.02
-34.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$33.1K €29.7K
-19.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$38.6K €34.7K
-30.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Oberhausen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$386 €347
-75.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$12.43 €11.17
-9.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$36.82 €33.07
-54.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Oberhausen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$38.55 €34.63
74.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$27.31 €24.54
-60.71%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$15.71 €14.11
-52.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Oberhausen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$460 €413
3.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$9,269 €8,326
21.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Oberhausen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$90.4 €81.2
-30.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$41.33 €37.12
-31.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$99.2 €89.1
-4.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$141 €127
-39.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Oberhausen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$597 €536
19.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$614 €552
-20.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$725 €651
165.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$756 €679
89.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$4,012 €3,604
4.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$3,297 €2,962
-7.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Oberhausen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$3,377 €3,034
-85.13%
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 Oberhausen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Oberhausen
$614 25.1% $123
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Oberhausen
$332 24.8% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Oberhausen
$435 250% $311
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Oberhausen
$167 37.4% $46
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Oberhausen
$287 136% $165
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Oberhausen
$70 14.9% $12
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Oberhausen
$83 18.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $597 in Oberhausen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Oberhausen are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $83 in Oberhausen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $332 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇩🇪 Oberhausen
🕒 Local time
05:55 5:55 AM
23:55 11:55 PM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
209,292
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Oberhausen 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Oberhausen

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 Oberhausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Oberhausen?
Oberhausen costs about 56% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Oberhausen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,984 in Oberhausen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Phuket or Oberhausen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Oberhausen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $597 there versus $716 in Phuket.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Oberhausen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,989 in Oberhausen. That makes Phuket about 36% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Phuket compared to Oberhausen?
Public transport costs about 11% less in Oberhausen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Phuket or in Oberhausen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Oberhausen at $1,989. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oberhausen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Oberhausen?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,989 in Oberhausen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Phuket compared to Oberhausen?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Phuket or to Oberhausen?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oberhausen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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