Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Wels

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,902 in Wels, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
Learn more

Wels Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,902

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Wels

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,902 in Wels.

Phuket $1,278
Wels $1,902

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,820 in Wels.

Phuket $2,216
Wels $2,820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,737 in Wels.

Phuket $3,154
Wels $3,737

Living in Phuket costs roughly 33% less than in Wels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Wels is 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.69 €14.89

-73.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$83.9 €74.9

-61.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.12 €9.92

-20.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.23 €3.77

-33.10%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$3.51 €3.13

-75.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.89 €2.57

-83.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.75 €5.13

-55.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.60 €5.00

-34.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.60 €1.42

3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$2.41 €2.15

-39.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.77 €1.58

-15.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.76 €3.35

-44.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$21.66 €19.33

-11.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$13.03 €11.62

-74.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$21.33 €19.03

-48.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.89 €2.58

1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.82 €1.62

-7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.81 €2.51

-19.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.85 €2.54

-27.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.51 €2.24

-39.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.63 €1.46

-15.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$2.26 €2.02

-52.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.77 €0.68

-32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$7.39 €6.60

-43.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.11 €8.13

106.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.81 €0.72

124.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.23 €1.99

27.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$2.74 €2.44

-47.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$38.17 €34.05

48.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.69 €5.08

-46.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$2.38 €2.12

-57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$31.52 €28.12

-88.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.86 €1.66

-20.97%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$30.2K €26.9K

-11.28%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$29.8K €26.6K

-10.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$333 €297

-71.05%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.86 €12.36

-18.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$38.47 €34.33

-56.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$44.07 €39.32

52.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$34.03 €30.36

-68.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.46 €12.01

-44.28%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,342 €1,197

-64.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$15.3K €13.6K

-26.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$83.7 €74.7

-25.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$58.5 €52.2

-51.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$111 €98.6

-14.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$128 €114

-32.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$674 €601

6.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$562 €502

-12.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$958 €855

101.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$798 €712

79.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$4,193 €3,741

-0.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,426 €3,057

-11.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,121 €2,784

-83.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.5

59.14%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Wels: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Wels

$562 29.5% 14.5% $71

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Wels

$363 19.1% 36.3% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Wels

$385 20.3% 209% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Wels

$171 9% 40.5% $49

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Wels

$283 14.9% 133% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Wels

$71 3.7% 13.7% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Wels

$67 3.5% 5.5% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $674 in Wels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wels pays about 6.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $84 in Wels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $363 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇹 Wels

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

22:18 10:18 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

59,853

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Wels 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Wels

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 Wels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 84% 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 $674 in Wels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,342 in Wels. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Wels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,902 in Wels, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Wels. 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 Wels are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Wels on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.