Cost of Living Comparison Between Buckingham and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Buckingham and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,268 in Buckingham versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,455 in Buckingham versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,643 in Buckingham versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Buckingham is roughly 81% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buckingham is 70% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.10 £14.96

$4.55 ฿153

341.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 £61.4

$46.18 ฿1,553

78.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 £8.14

$8.84 ฿297

23.76%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.43

$3.06 ฿103

50.65%

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

$1.98 £1.48

$0.73 ฿24.40

171.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 £0.99

$0.40 ฿13.39

235.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 £4.15

$2.43 ฿81.8

129.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 £3.99

$3.78 ฿127

41.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 £0.88

$2.26 ฿76.0

-47.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.81 ฿60.9

-14.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 £1.58

$2.25 ฿75.8

-5.78%

Eggs

$4.24 £3.16

$2.25 ฿75.5

88.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 £7.51

$19.51 ฿656

-48.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.22 £5.38

$3.65 ฿123

97.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.57 £11.59

$13.05 ฿439

19.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 £2.44

$3.23 ฿109

1.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.62 ฿54.4

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.08

$2.38 ฿80.1

17.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 £1.91

$2.03 ฿68.1

26.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 £0.74

$1.53 ฿51.6

-35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 £1.30

$1.50 ฿50.5

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 £0.81

$0.98 ฿32.91

11.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 £1.18

$0.52 ฿17.39

205.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.39 £12.20

$4.44 ฿149

269.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 £8.18

$18.32 ฿616

-40.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 £1.95

$1.86 ฿62.7

40.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 £1.48

$2.68 ฿90.1

-25.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.65 £1.97

$1.41 ฿47.46

87.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 £66.7

$11.70 ฿393

665.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.18 £3.11

$3.11 ฿105

34.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 £1.00

$1.04 ฿35.06

28.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.18 £18.74

$14.11 ฿474

78.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.31 ฿44.10

50.38%

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

$38.4K £28.6K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

37.94%

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

$42.3K £31.5K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

27.40%

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

$260 £194

$122 ฿4,118

112.52%

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

$17.71 £13.19

$13.59 ฿457

30.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.37 £26.33

$18.70 ฿629

89.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.41 £9.98

$60.5 ฿2,034

-77.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

Cinema Ticket

$12.18 £9.07

$9.07 ฿305

34.29%

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

$1,410 £1,049

$706 ฿23.8K

99.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K £10.0K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

-14.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 £56.2

$58.6 ฿1,969

29.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.25 £26.99

$35.36 ฿1,189

2.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 £52.6

$115 ฿3,883

-38.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 £67.4

$83.7 ฿2,816

8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,481 £1,102

$626 ฿21.0K

136.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 £789

$445 ฿15.0K

138.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,422 £2,548

$2,040 ฿68.6K

67.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,060 £1,534

$1,492 ฿50.2K

38.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,701 £4,244

$3,483 ฿117.1K

63.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,514 £3,360

$500 ฿16.8K

803.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.79

5.33

8.63%

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

Last update for Buckingham: July 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,481 in Buckingham and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buckingham pays 803% 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: $82.0 in Buckingham vs $46.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $289, with Buckingham cheaper for home cooking.

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

Buckingham vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buckingham and Phuket differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($2,268 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 803% higher in Buckingham, 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: $1,481 in Buckingham versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,268 per month in Buckingham versus $1,250 in Phuket – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 665% less than in Buckingham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,268 in Buckingham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Buckingham. 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, Buckingham 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 81% less than in Buckingham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.