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: $2,120 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $1,261 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,925 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $2,276 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,729 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $3,291 in Phuket.

Living in Rueil-Malmaison is roughly 68% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rueil-Malmaison is 59% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.57 €17.14

$4.53 ฿153

332.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.97 €41.15

$46.36 ฿1,565

1.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 €10.16

$8.65 ฿292

34.10%

Cappuccino

$3.46 €3.03

$3.09 ฿104

11.97%

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

$2.78 €2.44

$0.68 ฿22.89

308.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.62

$0.37 ฿12.44

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.80 €5.96

$2.42 ฿81.6

180.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 €5.19

$3.81 ฿129

55.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.10

$2.18 ฿73.5

-42.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 €1.58

$1.82 ฿61.3

-1.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.24

$2.18 ฿73.5

17.43%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.56

$2.24 ฿75.4

81.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.02 €16.66

$19.93 ฿673

-4.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.74 €12.04

$3.64 ฿123

277.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.71 €18.15

$13.56 ฿458

52.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.74

$3.29 ฿111

-4.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.92

$1.69 ฿56.9

29.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.35

$2.33 ฿78.8

15.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 €3.21

$2.03 ฿68.4

80.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 €1.90

$1.60 ฿54.0

35.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 €2.26

$1.49 ฿50.5

73.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.36

$1.01 ฿34.17

53.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.59

$0.48 ฿16.09

41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.64 €11.95

$4.45 ฿150

206.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 €6.19

$18.63 ฿629

-62.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.38

$1.79 ฿60.3

51.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.05

$2.80 ฿94.4

24.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.70

$1.42 ฿47.90

36.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.25 €43.15

$11.33 ฿382

334.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 €4.09

$3.09 ฿104

51.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 €1.48

$1.04 ฿35.19

62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.65 €32.11

$13.63 ฿460

168.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.83

$1.31 ฿44.23

59.54%

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

$37.0K €32.4K

$27.3K ฿920.7K

35.61%

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

$36.9K €32.3K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

11.10%

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

$192 €168

$123 ฿4,157

56.15%

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

$22.92 €20.08

$13.81 ฿466

65.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.19 €28.20

$18.52 ฿625

73.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.47 €32.83

$60.4 ฿2,037

-37.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 €15.74

$16.80 ฿567

6.96%

Cinema Ticket

$13.70 €12.00

$8.89 ฿300

54.11%

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

$766 €671

$687 ฿23.2K

11.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,659 €7,587

$15.6K ฿524.8K

-44.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €90.6

$57.6 ฿1,945

79.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.87 €34.05

$34.66 ฿1,170

12.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 €79.1

$115 ฿3,879

-21.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €121

$84.9 ฿2,865

63.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 €931

$618 ฿20.8K

72.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 €801

$443 ฿15.0K

106.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 €1,236

$2,047 ฿69.1K

-31.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €962

$1,506 ฿50.8K

-27.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,665 €5,840

$3,568 ฿120.4K

86.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,097 €2,713

$2,511 ฿84.7K

23.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,190 €2,794

$503 ฿17.0K

534.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.63

5.33

-31.89%

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

Last update for Rueil-Malmaison: July 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Rueil-Malmaison and $618 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rueil-Malmaison pays 534% 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 $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $292 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 68% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 534% 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: $1,062 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $618 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $766 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $687 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Rueil-Malmaison. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,261 in Phuket versus $2,120 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 68% less than in Rueil-Malmaison. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.