Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buckingham and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,219 in Buckingham, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Buckingham
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Buckingham Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Buckingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,219

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buckingham and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buckingham and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,219 in Buckingham versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Buckingham $2,219
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,265 in Buckingham versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Buckingham $3,265
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,311 in Buckingham versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Buckingham $4,311
Phuket $2,867

Living in Buckingham is roughly 84% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buckingham is 64% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 £15.03

$4.58 ฿153

337.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 £59.2

$32.48 ฿1,086

142.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 £7.83

$8.55 ฿286

22.11%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.45

$2.72 ฿91.0

69.12%

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

$2.05 £1.54

$0.94 ฿31.25

118.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.12

$0.49 ฿16.39

206.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 £4.09

$2.59 ฿86.6

110.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 £3.39

$3.83 ฿128

18.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.74 ฿58.1

-13.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.43 ฿47.82

23.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$1.53 ฿51.0

84.31%

Eggs

$4.04 £3.03

$2.17 ฿72.7

86.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 £6.82

$19.15 ฿640

-52.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 £5.79

$3.30 ฿110

133.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.42 £12.32

$11.14 ฿372

47.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 £2.47

$2.95 ฿98.5

11.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.68 ฿56.1

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$2.30 ฿76.8

21.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.13 ฿71.3

50.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.53 ฿51.1

-24.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.36 ฿45.55

27.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 £0.97

$1.12 ฿37.44

15.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.01

$0.55 ฿18.24

145.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.66 £17.75

$4.26 ฿142

455.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.10 £7.57

$18.19 ฿608

-44.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 £2.36

$1.74 ฿58.2

80.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$2.79 ฿93.3

-18.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.38 £2.53

$2.22 ฿74.1

52.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.7 £71.1

$22.06 ฿737

329.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.18 £3.14

$2.91 ฿97.3

43.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.02

$1.01 ฿33.79

166.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.36 £24.28

$3.83 ฿128

744.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.53

$1.49 ฿49.85

36.91%

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

$38.4K £28.8K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

43.85%

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

$41.3K £31.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

54.56%

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

$200 £150

$99.4 ฿3,321

101.24%

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

$17.46 £13.10

$11.28 ฿377

54.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.68 £32.77

$17.36 ฿580

151.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.77 £34.34

$52.3 ฿1,747

-12.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 £10.04

$7.57 ฿253

76.75%

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

$1,464 £1,099

$558 ฿18.7K

162.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K £16.5K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

91.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 £63.2

$62.9 ฿2,102

34.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.33 £23.50

$28.58 ฿955

9.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 £55.3

$96.1 ฿3,213

-23.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £72.9

$88.1 ฿2,943

10.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 £1,097

$729 ฿24.4K

100.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £777

$460 ฿15.4K

125.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,105 £1,579

$2,096 ฿70.0K

0.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 £1,244

$1,222 ฿40.8K

35.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,081 £3,812

$3,459 ฿115.6K

46.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 £2,865

$2,489 ฿83.2K

53.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,447 £3,336

$493 ฿16.5K

801.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.06

5.57

-9.16%

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

Last update for Buckingham: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Buckingham

$1K 46.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 55.6% $576

Eating Out

Buckingham

$297 13.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 59.2% $176

Groceries & Markets

Buckingham

$297 13.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 9.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buckingham

$261 11.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 51% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Buckingham

$129 5.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 3.8% $4.9

Getting Around

Buckingham

$126 5.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 69.1% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Buckingham

$73 3.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 7.1% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,462 in Buckingham and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buckingham pays 802% 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: $79.0 in Buckingham vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Buckingham

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

13:37 1:37 PM

6 h ahead of Buckingham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,890

79,308

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buckingham Phuket 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Buckingham
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 84% in total monthly costs ($2,219 vs $1,207 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 802% 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: $1,462 in Buckingham versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,219 per month in Buckingham versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 329% less than in Buckingham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,219 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 84% less than in Buckingham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.