Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zell am see and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,284 in Zell am see, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Zell am see
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Zell am see Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Zell am see

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,284

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,284 in Zell am see versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Zell am see $2,284
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,355 in Zell am see versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Zell am see $3,355
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,427 in Zell am see versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Zell am see $4,427
Phuket $3,115

Living in Zell am see 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: Zell am see is 69% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.93 €15.12

$4.39 ฿148

285.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.4

$32.31 ฿1,089

157.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.86

$8.70 ฿293

14.02%

Cappuccino

$4.18 €3.74

$2.72 ฿91.8

53.68%

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

$3.43 €3.06

$0.93 ฿31.35

268.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.62

$0.50 ฿16.83

486.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.61 €5.01

$2.53 ฿85.3

121.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 €4.72

$3.63 ฿122

45.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.74 ฿58.6

-1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.45 ฿48.89

69.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$1.50 ฿50.6

62.67%

Eggs

$4.58 €4.09

$2.17 ฿73.2

111.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.53 €19.23

$19.09 ฿643

12.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.72 €11.37

$3.40 ฿115

274.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.30 €19.03

$10.90 ฿367

95.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 €2.59

$2.94 ฿99.1

-1.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.69 ฿57.0

53.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.06

$2.19 ฿73.9

56.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.56

$2.12 ฿71.6

87.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.22

$1.46 ฿49.15

69.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$1.37 ฿46.10

127.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.08 ฿36.26

106.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$0.55 ฿18.38

121.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.92 €7.07

$4.43 ฿149

78.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.78 €7.84

$18.25 ฿615

-51.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.77 ฿59.7

-26.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.88 ฿97.1

-23.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.45 ฿48.78

90.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 €50.9

$54.9 ฿1,850

3.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.51 ฿51.0

88.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.78 ฿26.14

16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.99 €27.68

$3.84 ฿129

707.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.49 ฿50.1

18.12%

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

$30.4K €27.1K

$26.9K ฿905.9K

13.07%

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

$30.6K €27.3K

$26.3K ฿887.8K

15.97%

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

$342 €305

$97.8 ฿3,296

249.49%

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

$15.74 €14.06

$11.29 ฿381

39.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.72 €33.69

$17.19 ฿579

119.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.28 €35.98

$68.3 ฿2,303

-41.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.52 €20.12

$10.92 ฿368

106.23%

Cinema Ticket

$15.60 €13.93

$7.43 ฿250

109.96%

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

$443 €396

$530 ฿17.9K

-16.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$18.8K ฿632.9K

-15.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 €75.7

$61.7 ฿2,078

37.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.1 €53.6

$28.25 ฿952

112.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$96.0 ฿3,235

17.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$86.8 ฿2,926

42.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 €903

$721 ฿24.3K

40.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 €803

$509 ฿17.1K

76.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 €1,403

$1,950 ฿65.7K

-19.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,258

$1,397 ฿47.1K

0.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,018 €6,268

$4,192 ฿141.3K

67.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,784 €5,166

$3,298 ฿111.2K

75.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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 Zell am see: November 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zell am see

$900 39.4%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 43.4% $391

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zell am see

$395 17.3%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 68.1% $269

Groceries & Markets

Zell am see

$391 17.1%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 31.8% $124

Eating Out

Zell am see

$279 12.2%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 57.2% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Zell am see

$171 7.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 28.4% $49

Getting Around

Zell am see

$75 3.3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 12.3% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Zell am see

$71 3.1%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 16.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,011 in Zell am see and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Zell am see vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Zell am see

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

21:32 9:32 PM

6 h ahead of Zell am see

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,131

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Zell am see Phuket 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zell am see
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

Zell am see vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,426 in Zell am see and $1,940 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: $1,011 in Zell am see versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $443 in Zell am see versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Zell am see. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,284 in Zell am see, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Zell am see. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Zell am see. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.