Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Soest and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,925 in Soest, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Soest
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Soest Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Soest

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,925

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Soest and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Soest and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,925 in Soest versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Soest $1,925
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,869 in Soest versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Soest $2,869
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,812 in Soest versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Soest $3,812
Phuket $3,154

Living in Soest is roughly 51% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Soest is 41% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.52 €12.15

$4.47 ฿151

202.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.2

$32.41 ฿1,094

110.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.13

$8.81 ฿297

28.04%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.83 ฿95.5

4.95%

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

$2.19 €1.97

$0.87 ฿29.43

151.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.02

$0.49 ฿16.67

359.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.52 €3.17

$2.56 ฿86.4

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.06

$3.68 ฿124

-37.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.66 ฿56.0

-21.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.46 ฿49.35

21.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 €3.55

$1.50 ฿50.6

163.33%

Eggs

$3.38 €3.04

$2.09 ฿70.5

61.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 €12.82

$19.07 ฿644

-25.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 €10.58

$3.30 ฿111

256.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.18 €16.34

$10.91 ฿368

66.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.34

$2.93 ฿99.0

-11.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.69 ฿57.1

16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$2.25 ฿75.8

-7.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.08 ฿70.1

8.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.51 ฿51.0

-11.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.38 ฿46.56

-10.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.07 ฿35.99

47.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.92

$0.52 ฿17.52

96.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.38 €8.43

$4.20 ฿142

123.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 €5.46

$18.79 ฿634

-67.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.82 ฿61.5

-51.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.84 ฿95.9

-48.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.41 €3.06

$1.45 ฿49.03

135.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 €54.5

$56.7 ฿1,913

7.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 €3.45

$3.02 ฿102

27.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.36

$1.02 ฿34.36

157.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.48 €30.08

$3.69 ฿125

807.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.47 ฿49.81

39.46%

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

$30.1K €27.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

12.48%

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

$38.5K €34.6K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

44.26%

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

$377 €339

$96.4 ฿3,254

291.35%

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

$16.99 €15.27

$11.26 ฿380

50.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.10 €38.72

$16.85 ฿569

155.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.92 €25.08

$67.2 ฿2,270

-58.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.12 €27.07

$10.73 ฿362

180.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.52

$7.50 ฿253

41.33%

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

$467 €420

$476 ฿16.1K

-1.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.3K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

51.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$128 €115

$62.4 ฿2,106

105.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.35 €29.97

$28.41 ฿959

17.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 €106

$94.3 ฿3,184

24.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €110

$85.8 ฿2,898

42.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 €997

$716 ฿24.2K

54.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$644 €578

$491 ฿16.6K

31.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 €1,309

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-24.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 €1,026

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-20.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,354 €3,912

$4,175 ฿141.0K

4.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,673 €3,300

$3,045 ฿102.8K

20.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

5.57

-28.90%

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

Last update for Soest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Soest

$644 33.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 23.7% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Soest

$437 22.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 71.5% $313

Groceries & Markets

Soest

$305 15.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 12.8% $39

Eating Out

Soest

$218 11.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 44.1% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Soest

$181 9.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 32.6% $59

Getting Around

Soest

$91 4.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 22.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Soest

$49 2.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 67.4% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,109 in Soest and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Soest vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Soest

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:18 9:18 AM

15:18 3:18 PM

6 h ahead of Soest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,460

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Soest Phuket 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Soest
Phuket

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

Soest vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,887 in Soest and $1,917 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: $1,109 in Soest versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $467 in Soest versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Soest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,925 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.

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.

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 34% less than in Soest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.