Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangor and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangor and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,864 in Bangor versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,948 in Bangor versus $2,255 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,033 in Bangor versus $3,279 in Phuket.

Living in Bangor is roughly 51% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bangor is 39% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.42 £18.10

$4.63 ฿151

427.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 £62.5

$46.84 ฿1,532

80.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 £7.42

$8.84 ฿289

13.24%

Cappuccino

$4.32 £3.20

$3.00 ฿98.0

44.00%

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

$2.02 £1.50

$0.74 ฿24.25

172.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 £1.46

$0.37 ฿11.95

432.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.91

$2.44 ฿79.8

171.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 £5.46

$3.61 ฿118

104.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.44

$2.26 ฿73.9

-14.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 £1.67

$1.84 ฿60.1

22.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 £1.69

$2.24 ฿73.4

1.79%

Eggs

$3.81 £2.82

$2.32 ฿75.7

64.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 £7.48

$19.67 ฿643

-48.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.85 £8.04

$3.65 ฿119

197.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 £10.33

$13.10 ฿428

6.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.24

$3.39 ฿111

-10.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 £1.22

$1.64 ฿53.7

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 £2.18

$2.41 ฿79.0

21.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 £2.64

$2.03 ฿66.4

75.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 £1.20

$1.56 ฿50.9

3.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.13

$1.50 ฿48.94

2.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 £0.79

$1.02 ฿33.50

4.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.09

$0.49 ฿16.00

202.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.37 £14.35

$4.45 ฿145

335.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.34 £6.92

$18.88 ฿617

-50.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 £2.07

$1.78 ฿58.1

56.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 £2.28

$2.75 ฿90.1

12.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.16 £3.08

$1.40 ฿45.81

197.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 £66.9

$11.48 ฿376

686.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.68 £3.47

$3.12 ฿102

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 £1.40

$1.00 ฿32.67

89.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.24 £17.22

$14.09 ฿461

64.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.35 ฿44.19

47.41%

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

$38.2K £28.3K

$27.2K ฿888.9K

40.35%

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

$41.6K £30.8K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

26.27%

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

$300 £222

$125 ฿4,087

139.76%

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

$24.11 £17.87

$13.57 ฿444

77.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.15 £29.75

$18.52 ฿606

116.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.87 £33.25

$61.5 ฿2,010

-27.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.76 £15.38

$16.84 ฿551

23.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.90 £8.08

$9.19 ฿300

18.61%

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

$1,610 £1,193

$698 ฿22.8K

130.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K £13.4K

$15.6K ฿509.9K

15.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.6 £61.2

$57.8 ฿1,889

43.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.29 £32.08

$35.24 ฿1,152

22.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £77.9

$113 ฿3,699

-7.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 £91.1

$86.4 ฿2,825

42.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 £445

$616 ฿20.1K

-2.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$502 £372

$446 ฿14.6K

12.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 £948

$2,048 ฿67.0K

-37.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 £820

$1,492 ฿48.8K

-25.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,441 £1,809

$524 ฿17.1K

365.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

5.33

3.19%

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

Last update for Bangor: April 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $601 in Bangor and $616 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangor pays 366% 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: $84.0 in Bangor vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $292 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Bangor vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Bangor pays 366% more on average, 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: $601 in Bangor versus $616 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $84.0 in Bangor. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,864 per month in Bangor versus $1,232 in Phuket – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,864 in Bangor, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bangor. 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 Bangor, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bangor 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 51% less than in Bangor. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.