Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solingen and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,001 in Solingen, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Solingen
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Solingen Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Solingen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,001

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Solingen 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 Solingen and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,001 in Solingen versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Solingen $2,001
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,003 in Solingen versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Solingen $3,003
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,006 in Solingen versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Solingen $4,006
Phuket $2,867

Living in Solingen is roughly 66% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Solingen is 48% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.24 €17.11

$4.58 ฿153

320.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.5 €65.4

$32.48 ฿1,086

126.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €11.99

$8.55 ฿286

57.66%

Cappuccino

$3.88 €3.45

$2.72 ฿91.0

42.65%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$0.94 ฿31.25

232.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.59

$0.49 ฿16.39

495.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 €4.55

$2.59 ฿86.6

97.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.00

$3.83 ฿128

17.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.74 ฿58.1

-27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.43 ฿47.82

45.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$1.53 ฿51.0

93.46%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$2.17 ฿72.7

80.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.36 €14.55

$19.15 ฿640

-14.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.79 €11.38

$3.30 ฿110

287.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.56 €20.06

$11.14 ฿372

102.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.77

$2.95 ฿98.5

5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.68 ฿56.1

26.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.30 ฿76.8

-7.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.46

$2.13 ฿71.3

82.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 €1.06

$1.53 ฿51.1

-21.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.36 ฿45.55

-4.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.12 ฿37.44

41.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.04

$0.55 ฿18.24

110.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 €8.84

$4.26 ฿142

133.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$18.19 ฿608

-68.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$1.74 ฿58.2

-39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.79 ฿93.3

-47.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.22 ฿74.1

54.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 €57.9

$22.06 ฿737

195.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 €4.46

$2.91 ฿97.3

72.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.04 €2.71

$1.01 ฿33.79

200.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.45 €34.20

$3.83 ฿128

903.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.49 ฿49.85

47.65%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

25.25%

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

$37.6K €33.5K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

40.87%

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

$330 €294

$99.4 ฿3,321

232.24%

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

$19.79 €17.61

$11.28 ฿377

75.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.22 €36.66

$17.36 ฿580

137.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.77 €35.37

$52.3 ฿1,747

-23.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.78 €21.15

$10.85 ฿362

119.17%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.60

$7.57 ฿253

101.98%

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

$470 €418

$558 ฿18.7K

-15.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,286 €8,260

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-19.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.2

$62.9 ฿2,102

50.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.74 €37.13

$28.58 ฿955

46.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.2

$96.1 ฿3,213

16.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$88.1 ฿2,943

88.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 €749

$729 ฿24.4K

15.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 €543

$460 ฿15.4K

32.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 €1,220

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-34.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 €910

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-16.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,992 €4,441

$3,459 ฿115.6K

44.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,334 €2,966

$2,489 ฿83.2K

33.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,206 €4,631

$493 ฿16.5K

955.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

5.57

-29.08%

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

Last update for Solingen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Solingen

$611 30.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 24.7% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solingen

$391 19.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 67.3% $263

Groceries & Markets

Solingen

$344 17.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 22.2% $76

Eating Out

Solingen

$300 15%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 59.5% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Solingen

$186 9.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 33.4% $62

Getting Around

Solingen

$99 5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 60.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Solingen

$70 3.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 4.2% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $842 in Solingen and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solingen pays 956% 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: $73.0 in Solingen vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Solingen

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

00:12 12:12 AM

5 h ahead of Solingen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,205

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Solingen Phuket 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Solingen
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

Solingen vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 956% higher in Solingen, 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: $842 in Solingen versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $470 in Solingen versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Solingen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,001 in Solingen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Solingen. 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 Solingen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Solingen 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 66% less than in Solingen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.