Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Utrecht and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,987 in Utrecht, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Utrecht
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Utrecht Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Utrecht

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,987

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,987 in Utrecht versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Utrecht $2,987
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,205 in Utrecht versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Utrecht $4,205
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,423 in Utrecht versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Utrecht $5,423
Phuket $3,154

Living in Utrecht is roughly 134% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Utrecht is 120% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.74 €20.36

$4.47 ฿151

408.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.0 €75.3

$32.41 ฿1,093

159.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.14

$8.81 ฿297

53.80%

Cappuccino

$4.78 €4.29

$2.83 ฿95.4

68.90%

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

$3.84 €3.44

$0.87 ฿29.41

341.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.03

$0.49 ฿16.65

591.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.91

$2.56 ฿86.3

157.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 €6.41

$3.68 ฿124

94.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.66 ฿55.9

-9.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.46 ฿49.31

104.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.50 ฿50.5

69.33%

Eggs

$4.68 €4.19

$2.09 ฿70.5

123.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 €11.96

$19.07 ฿643

-29.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.92 €12.47

$3.30 ฿111

321.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.68 €16.73

$10.91 ฿368

71.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$2.93 ฿98.9

-6.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.69 ฿57.0

42.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$2.25 ฿75.8

-7.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.39

$2.08 ฿70.0

81.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.51 ฿51.0

14.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.69

$1.38 ฿46.52

36.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.43

$1.07 ฿35.96

48.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.52 ฿17.51

165.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.42 €12.92

$4.20 ฿142

243.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 €6.11

$18.79 ฿634

-63.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.82 ฿61.5

-25.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.40

$2.84 ฿95.8

-5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 €3.18

$1.45 ฿48.98

144.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 €118

$56.7 ฿1,912

133.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 €3.34

$3.02 ฿102

23.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.73 €2.44

$1.02 ฿34.33

167.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.56 €40.80

$3.69 ฿125

1134.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.47 ฿49.76

76.19%

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

$41.0K €36.7K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

53.22%

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

$40.1K €35.9K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

50.22%

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

$245 €219

$96.4 ฿3,251

154.31%

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

$21.75 €19.48

$11.26 ฿380

93.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.16 €43.13

$16.85 ฿568

185.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.24 €39.62

$67.2 ฿2,268

-34.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.25 €27.99

$10.73 ฿362

191.24%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 €13.49

$7.50 ฿253

100.80%

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

$3,274 €2,932

$476 ฿16.1K

587.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,994 €7,160

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-29.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.1 €83.4

$62.4 ฿2,104

49.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 €46.11

$28.41 ฿958

81.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$94.3 ฿3,181

8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €112

$85.8 ฿2,895

46.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 €1,742

$716 ฿24.2K

171.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 €1,395

$491 ฿16.6K

217.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,128 €2,802

$1,927 ฿65.0K

62.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,229 €1,996

$1,431 ฿48.3K

55.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,109 €6,367

$4,175 ฿140.9K

70.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,877 €4,368

$3,045 ฿102.7K

60.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,245 €3,801

$502 ฿16.9K

745.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

5.57

-42.01%

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

Last update for Utrecht: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Utrecht

$1.6K 52.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 68.5% $1.1K

Eating Out

Utrecht

$356 11.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 65.8% $234

Groceries & Markets

Utrecht

$352 11.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 24.4% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Utrecht

$315 10.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 60.5% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Utrecht

$168 5.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 27.3% $46

Getting Around

Utrecht

$164 5.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 56.9% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Utrecht

$74 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 10.6% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,945 in Utrecht and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Utrecht pays about 8.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Utrecht vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Utrecht

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

18:19 6:19 PM

6 h ahead of Utrecht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

367,947

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Utrecht Phuket 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Utrecht
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

Utrecht vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 57% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Utrecht is about 8.5 times higher, 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: $1,945 in Utrecht versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,274 in Utrecht 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 32% higher in Utrecht. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,987 in Utrecht, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Utrecht. 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 Utrecht, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Utrecht and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Utrecht. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.