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: $2,152 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $1,270 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,927 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $2,304 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,703 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $3,339 in Phuket.

Living in Rueil-Malmaison is roughly 70% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rueil-Malmaison is 61% above, Phuket is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.06 €17.11

$4.66 ฿150

330.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.15 €41.07

$46.44 ฿1,496

3.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 €9.97

$8.68 ฿280

34.68%

Cappuccino

$3.36 €2.87

$2.95 ฿95.0

13.90%

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

$2.72 €2.32

$0.70 ฿22.52

288.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.53

$0.39 ฿12.70

361.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 €5.82

$2.53 ฿81.6

169.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 €5.05

$3.78 ฿122

56.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.07

$2.22 ฿71.5

-43.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 €1.53

$1.80 ฿57.8

-0.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.25

$2.19 ฿70.4

20.09%

Eggs

$4.08 €3.48

$2.31 ฿74.5

76.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.29 €16.46

$19.34 ฿623

-0.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.50 €11.52

$3.77 ฿121

258.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.88 €17.81

$13.22 ฿426

57.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 €2.57

$3.33 ฿107

-9.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.88

$1.65 ฿53.1

33.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 €2.28

$2.29 ฿73.7

16.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.62 €3.09

$1.99 ฿64.1

81.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 €1.86

$1.53 ฿49.24

41.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 €2.21

$1.51 ฿48.77

71.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.30

$1.03 ฿33.12

47.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.56

$0.51 ฿16.57

29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.65 €11.64

$4.41 ฿142

209.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.62 €6.50

$19.41 ฿625

-60.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.23

$1.80 ฿58.0

45.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.85

$2.68 ฿86.4

24.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 €1.64

$1.43 ฿46.11

34.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.81 €42.49

$11.70 ฿377

325.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €3.91

$3.04 ฿97.9

50.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 €1.42

$1.04 ฿33.37

60.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.33 €30.99

$13.68 ฿441

165.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.76

$1.30 ฿41.85

58.46%

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

$37.3K €31.8K

$27.9K ฿898.9K

33.62%

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

$37.9K €32.3K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

14.70%

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

$197 €168

$123 ฿3,962

60.22%

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

$23.32 €19.89

$13.82 ฿445

68.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.59 €27.80

$18.86 ฿608

72.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.11 €31.65

$61.2 ฿1,970

-39.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.26 €15.57

$16.81 ฿541

8.63%

Cinema Ticket

$14.17 €12.08

$8.87 ฿286

59.75%

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

$771 €658

$696 ฿22.4K

10.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,603 €7,339

$16.1K ฿517.4K

-46.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €88.7

$59.3 ฿1,910

75.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 €33.53

$34.85 ฿1,123

12.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 €76.2

$113 ฿3,646

-21.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 €120

$85.1 ฿2,740

65.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 €917

$615 ฿19.8K

74.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$898 €766

$448 ฿14.4K

100.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,377 €1,175

$2,085 ฿67.2K

-33.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €942

$1,496 ฿48.2K

-26.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,917 €5,900

$3,734 ฿120.3K

85.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,070 €2,618

$2,662 ฿85.8K

15.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 €2,865

$534 ฿17.2K

529.40%

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: April 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,075 in Rueil-Malmaison and $615 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rueil-Malmaison pays 529% 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: $48 in Rueil-Malmaison vs $46 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $291 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 70% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Rueil-Malmaison pays 529% more on average, 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: $1,075 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $615 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $771 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $696 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 $1,270 in Phuket versus $2,152 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 70% less than in Rueil-Malmaison. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.