Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ulm

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,140 in Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
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Ulm Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ulm

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,140 in Ulm.

Phuket $1,207
Ulm $2,140

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $3,245 in Ulm.

Phuket $2,037
Ulm $3,245

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $4,350 in Ulm.

Phuket $2,867
Ulm $4,350

Living in Phuket costs roughly 44% less than in Ulm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Ulm is 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$16.80 €14.94

-72.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$66.6 €59.2

-51.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$13.31 €11.84

-35.76%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.84 €3.42

-29.17%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$4.64 €4.13

-79.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.92 €1.71

-74.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$4.62 €4.11

-43.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.41 €3.92

-13.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.47 €1.30

18.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.05 €1.83

-30.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$4.14 €3.68

-63.04%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.64 €3.24

-40.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$14.34 €12.76

33.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$9.83 €8.74

-66.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$25.54 €22.72

-56.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.44 €3.06

-14.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.21 €1.96

-23.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.92 €1.71

19.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.91 €3.48

-45.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.08 €0.96

41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.12 €1.00

21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.66 €1.48

-32.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.20 €1.06

-54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$9.59 €8.53

-55.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$5.67 €5.04

220.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.15 €1.02

51.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.52 €1.35

83.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$3.10 €2.76

-28.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$64.4 €57.3

-65.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$2.13 €1.89

-30.05%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$32.2K €28.6K

-17.14%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$37.9K €33.7K

-29.45%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$377 €336

-73.66%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$34.04 €30.28

-66.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$52.9 €47.05

-67.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$33.61 €29.89

55.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$22.70 €20.19

-52.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$13.44 €11.95

-43.68%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$441 €393

26.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$13.0K €11.6K

-11.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$90.3 €80.3

-30.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$55.2 €49.08

-48.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$89.4 €79.6

7.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$148 €131

-40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$931 €828

-21.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$749 €666

-38.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,830 €1,628

14.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,471 €1,308

-16.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$5,901 €5,249

-41.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$3,961 €3,524

-37.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$3,737 €3,324

-86.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.97

40.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ulm: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Ulm

$749 35% 62.8% $289

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Ulm

$339 15.9% 26.8% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Ulm

$464 21.7% 263% $336

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Ulm

$172 8% 38.8% $48

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Ulm

$279 13% 130% $157

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Ulm

$60 2.8% 10.3% $6.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Ulm

$77 * 3.6% 97.5% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $931 in Ulm. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulm pays 658% 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 $67.0 in Ulm for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $339 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇪 Ulm

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

121,648

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ulm 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ulm

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 Ulm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 77% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 658% lower in Ulm. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $931 in Ulm. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $441 in Ulm. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Ulm. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,140 in Ulm, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ulm. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ulm, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Ulm 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 77% less than in Ulm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.