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: $2,937 in Brighton versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,342 in Brighton versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,748 in Brighton versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Brighton is roughly 132% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brighton is 119% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 £14.97

$4.70 ฿153

328.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.7 £71.9

$45.37 ฿1,482

113.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 £7.18

$8.43 ฿275

14.59%

Cappuccino

$4.55 £3.38

$2.93 ฿95.6

55.29%

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

$2.12 £1.57

$0.69 ฿22.40

207.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.21

$0.37 ฿11.99

340.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.59 £6.38

$2.41 ฿78.6

256.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 £4.96

$3.72 ฿122

79.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.38

$2.23 ฿72.9

-17.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 £1.55

$1.83 ฿59.8

14.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 £1.58

$2.17 ฿70.8

-2.30%

Eggs

$5.06 £3.76

$2.21 ฿72.3

128.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.97 £8.89

$19.74 ฿645

-39.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.68

$3.63 ฿119

147.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 £13.31

$13.53 ฿442

32.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 £2.42

$3.28 ฿107

-0.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 £1.50

$1.61 ฿52.6

24.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 £2.38

$2.41 ฿78.6

33.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 £2.50

$2.08 ฿68.1

62.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 £1.70

$1.53 ฿49.93

49.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 £1.52

$1.48 ฿48.36

37.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 £0.84

$0.99 ฿32.29

13.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 £1.08

$0.51 ฿16.67

184.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.41 £15.92

$4.41 ฿144

385.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 £8.30

$19.38 ฿633

-42.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 £2.08

$1.78 ฿58.1

56.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 £1.92

$2.71 ฿88.6

-4.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 £2.47

$1.37 ฿44.79

142.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$129 £95.7

$11.39 ฿372

1030.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 £3.37

$3.02 ฿98.6

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 £1.63

$0.99 ฿32.48

122.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.41 £30.78

$14.10 ฿461

193.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.36 ฿44.51

44.85%

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

$37.8K £28.1K

$28.2K ฿921.1K

33.89%

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

$42.0K £31.2K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

27.56%

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

$290 £216

$122 ฿3,975

138.33%

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

$18.36 £13.65

$13.57 ฿443

35.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.81 £30.34

$18.31 ฿598

122.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 £40.09

$60.2 ฿1,967

-10.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 £13.97

$17.14 ฿560

9.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.52 £13.02

$8.69 ฿284

101.61%

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

$1,783 £1,325

$693 ฿22.6K

157.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K £14.2K

$15.7K ฿512.3K

21.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.5 £68.8

$59.5 ฿1,944

55.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.92 £31.90

$34.77 ฿1,136

23.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.5

$115 ฿3,743

-5.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 £58.8

$83.3 ฿2,720

-5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,828 £1,359

$613 ฿20.0K

198.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 £1,162

$437 ฿14.3K

257.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,247 £2,413

$2,094 ฿68.4K

55.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,608 £1,939

$1,509 ฿49.3K

72.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,819 £6,555

$3,749 ฿122.5K

135.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,240 £4,638

$2,616 ฿85.4K

138.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,476 £2,583

$508 ฿16.6K

584.03%

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: June 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,828 in Brighton and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brighton pays 584% 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: $97.0 in Brighton vs $45.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $293 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 132% in total monthly costs ($2,937 vs $1,265 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Brighton pays 584% 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: $1,828 in Brighton versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,783 in Brighton versus $693 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Brighton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,937 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 132% less than in Brighton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.