Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zell am see

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,284 in Zell am see, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Zell am see
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Zell am see Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Zell am see

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zell am see

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 Zell am see actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,284 in Zell am see.

Phuket $1,294
Zell am see $2,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,355 in Zell am see.

Phuket $2,204
Zell am see $3,355

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,427 in Zell am see.

Phuket $3,115
Zell am see $4,427

Living in Phuket costs roughly 43% less than in Zell am see, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Zell am see is 69% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$16.93 €15.10

-74.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$83.3 €74.3

-61.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$9.92 €8.85

-12.30%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$4.18 €3.73

-34.93%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$3.43 €3.06

-72.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.93 €2.62

-82.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$5.61 €5.01

-54.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$5.29 €4.72

-31.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.72 €1.54

1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.46 €2.19

-41.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.44 €2.18

-38.52%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$4.58 €4.09

-52.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$21.53 €19.21

-11.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$12.72 €11.35

-73.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$21.30 €19.00

-48.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.90 €2.59

1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.59 €2.31

-34.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$3.43 €3.06

-36.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$3.98 €3.55

-46.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$2.48 €2.22

-41.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$3.12 €2.78

-56.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$2.23 €1.99

-51.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$1.22 €1.09

-54.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$7.92 €7.06

-44.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$8.78 €7.83

107.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.30 €1.16

36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.21 €1.97

30.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$2.76 €2.46

-47.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$56.9 €50.8

-3.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.85 €2.54

-47.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.91 €0.81

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$30.99 €27.64

-87.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.76 €1.57

-15.34%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$30.4K €27.1K

-11.56%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$30.6K €27.3K

-13.77%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$342 €305

-71.39%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$15.74 €14.04

-28.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$37.72 €33.65

-54.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$40.28 €35.93

69.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$22.52 €20.09

-51.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$15.60 €13.91

-52.37%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$443 €395

19.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$15.8K €14.1K

18.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$84.7 €75.6

-27.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$60.1 €53.6

-52.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$113 €101

-15.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$123 €110

-29.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$1,011 €901

-28.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$900 €802

-43.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,571 €1,401

24.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,409 €1,256

-0.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$7,018 €6,260

-40.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$5,784 €5,159

-42.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zell am see: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Zell am see

$900 39.4% 76.8% $391

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Zell am see

$391 17.1% 46.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Zell am see

$395 17.3% 213% $269

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Zell am see

$171 7.5% 39.7% $49

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Zell am see

$279 12.2% 134% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Zell am see

$71 3.1% 14.1% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Zell am see

$75 3.3% 14.1% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,011 in Zell am see. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $83 in Zell am see for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $391 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇹 Zell am see

🕒 Local time

19:43 7:43 PM

13:43 1:43 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

10,131

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Zell am see 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zell am see

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 Zell am see: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $3,426 in Zell am see 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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,011 in Zell am see. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $443 in Zell am see. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Zell am see. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,284 in Zell am see, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Zell am see. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Zell am see. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.