Cost of Living Comparison Between Rueil-Malmaison and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Rueil-Malmaison and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,001 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,021 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,042 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Rueil-Malmaison is roughly 60% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rueil-Malmaison is 46% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.61 €16.88

$4.56 ฿150

330.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.24 €40.66

$32.62 ฿1,073

44.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.32 €12.32

$8.90 ฿293

60.90%

Cappuccino

$3.89 €3.34

$2.80 ฿92.3

38.93%

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

$2.86 €2.46

$0.88 ฿28.96

225.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.91

$0.49 ฿16.09

353.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.66 €5.73

$2.39 ฿78.6

178.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €4.93

$3.71 ฿122

54.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.02

$1.79 ฿58.8

-34.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.50

$1.44 ฿47.43

21.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 €2.00

$1.58 ฿52.1

46.84%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.30

$2.13 ฿70.0

80.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.46 €16.75

$19.92 ฿655

-2.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 €11.21

$3.43 ฿113

279.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.24 €19.15

$11.33 ฿373

96.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.38

$2.95 ฿97.0

-6.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 €1.98

$1.72 ฿56.6

33.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 €2.76

$2.32 ฿76.5

38.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 €2.59

$2.08 ฿68.5

44.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.75

$1.47 ฿48.37

38.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.87

$1.36 ฿44.68

59.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.28

$1.10 ฿36.15

35.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.55

$0.57 ฿18.90

10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.06 €13.82

$4.27 ฿140

276.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.56 €7.37

$18.42 ฿606

-53.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.57

$1.87 ฿61.6

59.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 €2.74

$2.92 ฿96.1

8.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 €1.75

$2.22 ฿73.0

-8.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 €89.8

$22.90 ฿753

355.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 €4.26

$3.03 ฿99.7

63.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 €1.70

$1.07 ฿35.34

85.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.99 €30.98

$3.93 ฿129

815.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €1.94

$1.49 ฿49.09

51.68%

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

$31.6K €27.2K

$27.1K ฿892.5K

16.63%

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

$36.7K €31.6K

$27.5K ฿903.2K

33.84%

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

$233 €200

$103 ฿3,382

126.33%

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

$15.43 €13.28

$10.99 ฿362

40.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.36 €26.14

$17.51 ฿576

73.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 €31.59

$53.5 ฿1,761

-31.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.91 €19.72

$11.20 ฿368

104.55%

Cinema Ticket

$14.09 €12.13

$7.48 ฿246

88.37%

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

$719 €619

$557 ฿18.3K

29.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €8,869

$11.9K ฿390.0K

-13.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.9 €71.3

$64.1 ฿2,108

29.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.59 €38.39

$29.07 ฿957

53.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 €103

$96.0 ฿3,157

24.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €111

$90.3 ฿2,972

42.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 €933

$730 ฿24.0K

48.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$634 €546

$500 ฿16.4K

26.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,469 €1,265

$2,090 ฿68.8K

-29.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,134 €976

$1,209 ฿39.8K

-6.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,826 €5,876

$3,596 ฿118.3K

89.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,192 €2,748

$2,512 ฿82.7K

27.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,314 €2,853

$503 ฿16.6K

558.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.57

-31.96%

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

Last update for Rueil-Malmaison: August 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,084 in Rueil-Malmaison and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rueil-Malmaison pays 558% 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: $47.00 in Rueil-Malmaison vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $273 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Rueil-Malmaison vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 60% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 558% higher in Rueil-Malmaison, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,084 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $719 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Rueil-Malmaison. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,001 in Rueil-Malmaison, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rueil-Malmaison. 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 Rueil-Malmaison, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rueil-Malmaison and Phuket 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 60% less than in Rueil-Malmaison. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.