Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulm and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,140 in Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
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Ulm Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,140

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,140 in Ulm versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Ulm $2,140
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,245 in Ulm versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Ulm $3,245
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,350 in Ulm versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Ulm $4,350
Phuket $2,867

Living in Ulm is roughly 77% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ulm is 59% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 €14.94

$4.58 ฿153

266.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.6 €59.2

$32.48 ฿1,086

105.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.31 €11.84

$8.55 ฿286

55.67%

Cappuccino

$3.84 €3.42

$2.72 ฿91.0

41.18%

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

$4.64 €4.13

$0.94 ฿31.25

393.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.49 ฿16.39

291.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.62 €4.11

$2.59 ฿86.6

78.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$3.83 ฿128

15.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.74 ฿58.1

-15.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.43 ฿47.82

43.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 €3.68

$1.53 ฿51.0

170.59%

Eggs

$3.64 €3.24

$2.17 ฿72.7

67.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.34 €12.76

$19.15 ฿640

-25.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.83 €8.74

$3.30 ฿110

197.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.54 €22.72

$11.14 ฿372

129.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.95 ฿98.5

16.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.68 ฿56.1

31.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.30 ฿76.8

-16.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.13 ฿71.3

83.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.53 ฿51.1

-29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.36 ฿45.55

-17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.12 ฿37.44

48.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.06

$0.55 ฿18.24

118.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.59 €8.53

$4.26 ฿142

125.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$18.19 ฿608

-68.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.74 ฿58.2

-33.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.79 ฿93.3

-45.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 €2.76

$2.22 ฿74.1

39.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.4 €57.3

$22.06 ฿737

191.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.49 ฿49.85

42.95%

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

$32.2K €28.6K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

20.69%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

41.75%

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

$377 €336

$99.4 ฿3,321

279.62%

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

$34.04 €30.28

$11.28 ฿377

201.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.9 €47.05

$17.36 ฿580

204.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.61 €29.89

$52.3 ฿1,747

-35.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.70 €20.19

$10.85 ฿362

109.22%

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 €11.95

$7.57 ฿253

77.54%

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

$441 €393

$558 ฿18.7K

-20.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.0K €11.6K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

13.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 €80.3

$62.9 ฿2,102

43.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 €49.08

$28.58 ฿955

93.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 €79.6

$96.1 ฿3,213

-6.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 €131

$88.1 ฿2,943

67.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 €828

$729 ฿24.4K

27.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 €666

$460 ฿15.4K

62.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,830 €1,628

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-12.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 €1,308

$1,222 ฿40.8K

20.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,901 €5,249

$3,459 ฿115.6K

70.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,961 €3,524

$2,489 ฿83.2K

59.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,737 €3,324

$493 ฿16.5K

657.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

5.57

-28.73%

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

Last update for Ulm: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulm

$749 35%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 38.6% $289

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulm

$464 21.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 72.4% $336

Groceries & Markets

Ulm

$339 15.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 21.2% $72

Eating Out

Ulm

$279 13%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 56.4% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Ulm

$172 8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 28% $48

Getting Around

Ulm

$77 * 3.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 49.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Ulm

$60 2.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 11.5% $6.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $931 in Ulm and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulm pays 658% 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: $67.0 in Ulm vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ulm

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:28 11:28 PM

04:28 4:28 AM

5 h ahead of Ulm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,648

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

Ulm Phuket 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulm
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

Ulm vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 77% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 658% higher in Ulm, 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: $931 in Ulm versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $441 in Ulm 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 27% higher in Ulm. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,140 in Ulm, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ulm. 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 Ulm, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ulm 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 77% less than in Ulm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.