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: $2,983 in Brighton versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,308 in Brighton versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,633 in Brighton versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Brighton is roughly 139% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brighton is 123% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 £15.06

$4.55 ฿153

345.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.8 £69.8

$46.18 ฿1,554

103.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 £7.09

$8.84 ฿298

7.81%

Cappuccino

$4.57 £3.40

$3.06 ฿103

49.35%

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

$2.12 £1.58

$0.73 ฿24.42

190.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.21

$0.40 ฿13.40

307.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.34 £6.20

$2.43 ฿81.8

243.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 £5.17

$3.78 ฿127

83.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.33

$2.26 ฿76.0

-20.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 £1.60

$1.81 ฿60.9

18.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 £1.52

$2.25 ฿75.8

-9.33%

Eggs

$5.00 £3.72

$2.25 ฿75.6

122.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.10 £9.00

$19.51 ฿656

-37.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 £6.60

$3.65 ฿123

143.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.05 £13.43

$13.05 ฿439

38.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 £2.40

$3.23 ฿109

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 £1.50

$1.62 ฿54.4

24.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 £2.37

$2.38 ฿80.2

34.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.51

$2.03 ฿68.2

66.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 £1.68

$1.53 ฿51.6

47.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.50 ฿50.5

35.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.88

$0.98 ฿32.93

20.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.11

$0.52 ฿17.40

188.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.95 £15.58

$4.44 ฿149

371.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.26 £8.38

$18.32 ฿616

-38.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 £2.00

$1.86 ฿62.7

44.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 £1.98

$2.68 ฿90.2

-0.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.46

$1.41 ฿47.49

134.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$130 £96.5

$11.70 ฿394

1009.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 £3.44

$3.11 ฿105

48.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 £1.60

$1.04 ฿35.08

106.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.99 £29.75

$14.11 ฿475

183.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.49

$1.31 ฿44.13

52.67%

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

$38.1K £28.4K

$27.8K ฿936.0K

37.08%

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

$41.2K £30.6K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

23.91%

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

$286 £213

$122 ฿4,120

133.87%

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

$18.84 £14.01

$13.59 ฿457

38.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.02

$18.70 ฿629

115.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 £39.60

$60.5 ฿2,035

-11.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.70 £13.91

$16.98 ฿572

10.13%

Cinema Ticket

$17.38 £12.93

$9.07 ฿305

91.62%

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

$1,776 £1,321

$706 ฿23.8K

151.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K £14.4K

$15.8K ฿531.8K

22.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 £68.3

$58.6 ฿1,970

56.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.18 £31.38

$35.36 ฿1,190

19.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £80.9

$115 ฿3,885

-5.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 £58.7

$83.7 ฿2,818

-5.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 £1,352

$626 ฿21.1K

190.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 £1,179

$445 ฿15.0K

256.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,287 £2,445

$2,040 ฿68.7K

61.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,614 £1,944

$1,492 ฿50.2K

75.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,564 £6,370

$3,483 ฿117.2K

145.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,300 £4,686

$2,577 ฿86.7K

144.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,446 £2,563

$500 ฿16.8K

589.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

5.33

5.63%

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

Last update for Brighton: July 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,818 in Brighton and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brighton pays 589% 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: $94.0 in Brighton vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $289 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 139% in total monthly costs ($2,983 vs $1,250 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 589% 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: $1,818 in Brighton versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,776 in Brighton versus $706 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Brighton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,983 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 139% less than in Brighton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.