Cost of Living Comparison Between Brighton and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Brighton and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,017 in Brighton versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,299 in Brighton versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,581 in Brighton versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Brighton is roughly 141% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brighton is 120% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.51 £18.86

$4.56 ฿150

459.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.7 £72.2

$32.62 ฿1,073

199.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.21 £7.55

$8.90 ฿293

14.72%

Cappuccino

$5.37 £3.97

$2.80 ฿92.2

91.79%

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

$4.07 £3.01

$0.88 ฿28.94

362.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 £2.52

$0.49 ฿16.08

595.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.88 £6.57

$2.39 ฿78.5

271.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.27 £6.85

$3.71 ฿122

149.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.42

$1.79 ฿58.8

7.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 £1.58

$1.44 ฿47.40

48.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.61

$1.58 ฿52.1

37.34%

Eggs

$4.50 £3.33

$2.13 ฿69.9

111.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 £8.93

$19.92 ฿655

-39.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.34 £6.91

$3.43 ฿113

172.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.64 £11.56

$11.33 ฿372

38.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.21

$2.95 ฿97.0

1.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 £1.44

$1.72 ฿56.6

13.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 £2.22

$2.32 ฿76.5

29.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 £2.83

$2.08 ฿68.4

83.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 £1.67

$1.47 ฿48.34

53.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 £1.42

$1.36 ฿44.65

41.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.89

$1.10 ฿36.13

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.29

$0.57 ฿18.89

205.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.63 £17.47

$4.27 ฿140

453.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.45 £8.46

$18.42 ฿606

-37.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.97 £2.20

$1.87 ฿61.5

58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.39

$2.92 ฿96.1

10.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.13 £3.06

$2.22 ฿73.0

86.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$131 £97.2

$22.90 ฿753

474.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.17 £3.82

$3.03 ฿99.6

70.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 £2.04

$1.07 ฿35.32

157.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.30 £29.79

$3.93 ฿129

925.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.57

$1.49 ฿49.06

42.95%

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

$39.6K £29.3K

$27.1K ฿892.0K

45.91%

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

$40.9K £30.2K

$27.5K ฿902.6K

48.86%

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

$290 £215

$103 ฿3,380

182.33%

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

$17.06 £12.61

$10.99 ฿361

55.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.56 £33.68

$17.51 ฿576

160.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 £37.66

$53.5 ฿1,760

-4.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.99 £20.69

$11.20 ฿368

149.91%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.11

$7.48 ฿246

137.17%

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

$2,073 £1,532

$557 ฿18.3K

272.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.4K £23.2K

$11.9K ฿389.7K

164.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.5 £69.9

$64.1 ฿2,107

47.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.51 £34.38

$29.07 ฿956

59.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.0

$96.0 ฿3,155

8.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.7 £67.8

$90.3 ฿2,970

1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 £1,437

$730 ฿24.0K

166.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 £1,111

$500 ฿16.4K

200.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,897 £2,141

$2,090 ฿68.7K

38.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,273 £1,680

$1,209 ฿39.8K

87.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,617 £6,369

$3,596 ฿118.2K

139.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,437 £4,758

$2,512 ฿82.6K

156.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,415 £2,524

$503 ฿16.6K

578.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

5.57

-8.08%

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

Last update for Brighton: August 30, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,944 in Brighton and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brighton pays 578% 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: $98.0 in Brighton vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $336 vs $273 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

Brighton vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brighton and Phuket differ by about 141% in total monthly costs ($3,017 vs $1,253 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 578% higher in Brighton, 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: $1,944 in Brighton versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,073 in Brighton versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Brighton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $3,017 in Brighton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Brighton. 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, Brighton 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 141% less than in Brighton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.