Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Utrecht

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,987 in Utrecht, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
142

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
Learn more

Utrecht Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Utrecht

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,987 in Utrecht.

Phuket $1,278
Utrecht $2,987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,205 in Utrecht.

Phuket $2,216
Utrecht $4,205

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,423 in Utrecht.

Phuket $3,154
Utrecht $5,423

Living in Phuket costs roughly 57% less than in Utrecht, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Utrecht is 120% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.74 €20.36

-80.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$84.0 €75.3

-61.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.55 €12.14

-34.98%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.78 €4.29

-40.79%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$3.84 €3.44

-77.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$3.39 €3.03

-85.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.59 €5.91

-61.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.15 €6.41

-48.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.51 €1.35

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.98 €2.67

-51.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.54 €2.27

-40.94%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.68 €4.19

-55.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.36 €11.96

42.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$13.92 €12.47

-76.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.68 €16.73

-41.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.74 €2.45

6.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.40 €2.15

-29.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.08 €1.86

8.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.78 €3.39

-44.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.73 €1.55

-12.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.88 €1.69

-26.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.59 €1.43

-32.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.38 €1.23

-62.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$14.42 €12.92

-70.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.82 €6.11

175.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.35 €1.21

34.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.68 €2.40

5.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$3.55 €3.18

-59.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$132 €118

-57.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.73 €3.34

-19.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.73 €2.44

-62.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$45.56 €40.80

-91.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.59 €2.32

-43.24%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$41.0K €36.7K

-34.74%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$40.1K €35.9K

-33.43%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$245 €219

-60.68%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$21.75 €19.48

-48.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$48.16 €43.13

-65.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$44.24 €39.62

51.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$31.25 €27.99

-65.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.06 €13.49

-50.20%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$3,274 €2,932

-85.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$7,994 €7,160

40.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$93.1 €83.4

-33.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$51.5 €46.11

-44.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$103 €91.9

-8.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$126 €112

-31.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,945 €1,742

-63.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,558 €1,395

-68.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$3,128 €2,802

-38.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,229 €1,996

-35.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$7,109 €6,367

-41.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$4,877 €4,368

-37.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$4,245 €3,801

-88.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.23

72.45%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Utrecht: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Utrecht

$1.6K 52.2% 217% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Utrecht

$352 11.8% 32.3% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Utrecht

$315 10.5% 153% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Utrecht

$168 5.6% 37.6% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Utrecht

$356 11.9% 193% $234

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Utrecht

$74 2.5% 9.6% $7.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Utrecht

$164 5.5% 132% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,945 in Utrecht. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Utrecht pays about 8.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $84 in Utrecht for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $352 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🕒 Local time

22:14 10:14 PM

16:14 4:14 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

367,947

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

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

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Utrecht 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Utrecht

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 Utrecht: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 88% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,945 in Utrecht. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $3,274 in Utrecht. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Utrecht. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,987 in Utrecht, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Utrecht. 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 Utrecht, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Utrecht are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Utrecht. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.