Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Soest

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,925 in Soest, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Soest
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Soest Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Soest

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Soest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,925 in Soest.

Phuket $1,278
Soest $1,925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,869 in Soest.

Phuket $2,216
Soest $2,869

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,812 in Soest.

Phuket $3,154
Soest $3,812

Living in Phuket costs roughly 34% less than in Soest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Soest is 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.52 €12.15

-66.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$68.1 €61.2

-52.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.28 €10.13

-21.90%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.97 €2.66

-4.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.19 €1.97

-60.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.25 €2.02

-78.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.52 €3.17

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.29 €2.06

60.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.30 €1.16

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.78 €1.60

-17.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.95 €3.55

-62.03%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.38 €3.04

-38.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$14.26 €12.82

33.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.78 €10.58

-71.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.18 €16.34

-39.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.60 €2.34

12.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.97 €1.77

-14.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.09 €1.88

7.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.26 €2.03

-7.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.34 €1.20

12.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.23 €1.10

12.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.58 €1.42

-32.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.02 €0.92

-49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.38 €8.43

-55.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.07 €5.46

209.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.89 €0.80

104.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.47 €1.32

93.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$3.41 €3.06

-57.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$60.6 €54.5

-6.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.84 €3.45

-21.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.63 €2.36

-61.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$33.48 €30.08

-88.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.05 €1.84

-28.29%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$30.1K €27.1K

-11.10%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$38.5K €34.6K

-30.68%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$377 €339

-74.45%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.99 €15.27

-33.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$43.10 €38.72

-60.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$27.92 €25.08

140.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$30.12 €27.07

-64.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.60 €9.52

-29.25%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$467 €420

1.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$17.1K €15.3K

-34.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$128 €115

-51.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$33.35 €29.97

-14.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$118 €106

-19.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$122 €110

-29.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,109 €997

-35.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$644 €578

-23.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,457 €1,309

32.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,142 €1,026

25.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,354 €3,912

-4.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,673 €3,300

-17.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.96

40.66%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Soest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Soest

$644 33.4% 31.1% $153

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Soest

$305 15.9% 14.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Soest

$437 22.7% 251% $313

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Soest

$181 9.4% 48.3% $59

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Soest

$218 11.3% 78.7% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Soest

$49 2.6% 40.3% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Soest

$91 4.7% 29.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,109 in Soest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $68 in Soest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $305 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇪 Soest

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

10:11 10:11 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

47,460

💱 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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Between locations

Phuket Soest 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Soest

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 Soest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,887 in Soest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,109 in Soest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $467 in Soest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Soest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,925 in Soest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Soest. 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 Soest 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 34% less than in Soest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.