Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wels and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,902 in Wels, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
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Wels Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,902

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,902 in Wels versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Wels $1,902
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,820 in Wels versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Wels $2,820
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Wels versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Wels $3,737
Phuket $3,154

Living in Wels is roughly 49% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wels is 40% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.89

$4.47 ฿151

273.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 €74.9

$32.41 ฿1,093

158.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.12 €9.92

$8.81 ฿297

26.22%

Cappuccino

$4.23 €3.77

$2.83 ฿95.4

49.47%

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

$3.51 €3.13

$0.87 ฿29.40

303.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.57

$0.49 ฿16.65

489.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 €5.13

$2.56 ฿86.3

124.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 €5.00

$3.68 ฿124

52.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.66 ฿55.9

-3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.46 ฿49.29

65.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.50 ฿50.5

18.00%

Eggs

$3.76 €3.35

$2.09 ฿70.5

79.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.66 €19.33

$19.07 ฿643

13.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.03 €11.62

$3.30 ฿111

294.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.33 €19.03

$10.91 ฿368

95.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.58

$2.93 ฿98.8

-1.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.69 ฿57.0

7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 €2.51

$2.25 ฿75.7

24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.08 ฿70.0

37.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.51 ฿51.0

66.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.38 ฿46.51

18.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.07 ฿35.95

111.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.68

$0.52 ฿17.50

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.39 €6.60

$4.20 ฿142

75.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.11 €8.13

$18.79 ฿634

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$1.82 ฿61.4

-55.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.84 ฿95.8

-21.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.45 ฿48.97

88.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.17 €34.05

$56.7 ฿1,911

-32.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 €5.08

$3.02 ฿102

88.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.02 ฿34.32

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.52 €28.12

$3.69 ฿124

754.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.47 ฿49.75

26.53%

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

$30.2K €26.9K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

12.71%

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

$29.8K €26.6K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

11.75%

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

$333 €297

$96.4 ฿3,250

245.41%

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

$13.86 €12.36

$11.26 ฿380

23.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.47 €34.33

$16.85 ฿568

128.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.07 €39.32

$67.2 ฿2,268

-34.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.03 €30.36

$10.73 ฿362

217.15%

Cinema Ticket

$13.46 €12.01

$7.50 ฿253

79.47%

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

$1,342 €1,197

$476 ฿16.1K

181.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K €13.6K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

35.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.7 €74.7

$62.4 ฿2,103

34.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.5 €52.2

$28.41 ฿958

105.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.6

$94.3 ฿3,180

17.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$85.8 ฿2,894

49.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 €601

$716 ฿24.1K

-5.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$562 €502

$491 ฿16.6K

14.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 €855

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-50.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$798 €712

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-44.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,193 €3,741

$4,175 ฿140.8K

0.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,426 €3,057

$3,045 ฿102.7K

12.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,121 €2,784

$502 ฿16.9K

521.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Wels: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wels

$562 29.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 12.7% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wels

$385 20.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 67.7% $261

Groceries & Markets

Wels

$363 19.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 26.6% $97

Eating Out

Wels

$283 14.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 57% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Wels

$171 9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 28.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Wels

$71 3.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Wels

$67 3.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 5.8% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $674 in Wels and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wels pays about 6.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Wels vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $363 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Wels

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

6 h ahead of Wels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,853

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

Wels Phuket 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Wels
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

Wels vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Wels is about 6.2 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: $674 in Wels versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,342 in Wels 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 36% higher in Wels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,902 in Wels, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Wels. 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, Wels and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Wels on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.