Cost of Living Comparison Between Soest and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Soest and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,015 in Soest versus $1,270 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,050 in Soest versus $2,304 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,084 in Soest versus $3,339 in Phuket.

Living in Soest is roughly 59% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Soest is 50% above, Phuket is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.98 €11.92

$4.66 ฿150

200.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.9 €58.8

$46.44 ฿1,496

48.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 €10.43

$8.68 ฿280

40.90%

Cappuccino

$3.44 €2.94

$2.95 ฿95.0

16.61%

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

$2.40 €2.04

$0.70 ฿22.52

242.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.09

$0.39 ฿12.70

525.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.82 €3.26

$2.53 ฿81.6

50.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €1.95

$3.78 ฿122

-39.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.11

$2.22 ฿71.5

-41.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.58

$1.80 ฿57.8

2.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 €2.78

$2.19 ฿70.4

48.86%

Eggs

$2.70 €2.30

$2.31 ฿74.5

16.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.01 €12.81

$19.34 ฿623

-22.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.63 €12.48

$3.77 ฿121

288.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 €14.79

$13.22 ฿426

31.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 €2.63

$3.33 ฿107

-7.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 €1.23

$1.65 ฿53.1

-12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €1.97

$2.29 ฿73.7

0.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 €4.12

$1.99 ฿64.1

142.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.40

$1.53 ฿49.24

7.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.39

$1.51 ฿48.77

7.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 €1.65

$1.03 ฿33.12

87.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.00

$0.51 ฿16.57

129.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.62 €8.21

$4.41 ฿142

118.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 €4.89

$19.41 ฿625

-70.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.86

$1.80 ฿58.0

-43.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.42

$2.68 ฿86.4

-38.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.38 €2.88

$1.43 ฿46.11

136.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.8 €52.7

$11.70 ฿377

427.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 €3.43

$3.04 ฿97.9

32.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 €1.73

$1.04 ฿33.37

95.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.75 €35.62

$13.68 ฿441

205.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.75

$1.30 ฿41.85

57.69%

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

$32.0K €27.3K

$27.9K ฿898.9K

14.85%

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

$37.9K €32.4K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

14.81%

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

$386 €329

$123 ฿3,962

213.56%

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

$35.00 €29.86

$13.82 ฿445

153.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 €44.18

$18.86 ฿608

174.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 €33.83

$61.2 ฿1,970

-35.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.77 €19.43

$16.81 ฿541

35.46%

Cinema Ticket

$17.22 €14.69

$8.87 ฿286

94.14%

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

$458 €390

$696 ฿22.4K

-34.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,696 €8,271

$16.1K ฿517.4K

-39.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 €81.0

$59.3 ฿1,910

60.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.33 €30.14

$34.85 ฿1,123

1.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 €69.4

$113 ฿3,646

-28.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 €117

$85.1 ฿2,740

61.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$849 €724

$615 ฿19.8K

37.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 €561

$448 ฿14.4K

46.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 €1,328

$2,085 ฿67.2K

-25.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 €1,041

$1,496 ฿48.2K

-18.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,582 €3,908

$3,734 ฿120.3K

22.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,841 €3,277

$2,662 ฿85.8K

44.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 ฿17.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

5.33

-25.52%

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

Last update for Soest: April 21, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $849 in Soest and $615 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Soest vs $46 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 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

Soest 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 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,023 in Soest and $1,904 in Phuket 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: $849 in Soest versus $615 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $458 in Soest 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 14% higher in Soest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,270 in Phuket versus $2,015 in Soest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Soest. 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 Soest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Soest 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 59% less than in Soest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.