Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,192 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,192

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cambridge 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 Cambridge and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,192 per month in Cambridge vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Cambridge $3,192
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $4,469 per month in Cambridge vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Cambridge $4,469
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,746 per month in Cambridge vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Cambridge $5,746
Phuket $3,154

Cambridge costs about 150% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cambridge sits 135% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.53 £16.07

$4.47 ฿151

381.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 £66.9

$32.41 ฿1,093

176.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 £7.86

$8.81 ฿297

19.41%

Cappuccino

$4.70 £3.51

$2.83 ฿95.4

66.08%

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

$2.68 £2.00

$0.87 ฿29.41

208.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.38

$0.49 ฿16.65

277.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 £5.92

$2.56 ฿86.3

209.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 £5.05

$3.68 ฿124

83.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 £1.19

$1.66 ฿55.9

-3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.30

$1.46 ฿49.31

19.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 £1.87

$1.50 ฿50.5

67.33%

Eggs

$4.57 £3.41

$2.09 ฿70.5

118.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 £7.37

$19.07 ฿643

-48.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 £7.31

$3.30 ฿111

196.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.03 £11.97

$10.91 ฿368

46.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 £2.27

$2.93 ฿98.9

3.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.69 ฿57.0

0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.66 £2.73

$2.25 ฿75.8

62.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 £2.67

$2.08 ฿70.0

72.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 £1.36

$1.51 ฿51.0

20.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.38 ฿46.52

36.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$1.07 ฿35.96

15.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.51

$0.52 ฿17.51

290.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.71 £16.96

$4.20 ฿142

440.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 £8.15

$18.79 ฿634

-41.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.40

$1.82 ฿61.5

76.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 £3.06

$2.84 ฿95.8

44.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.89 £2.90

$1.45 ฿48.98

168.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 £91.2

$56.7 ฿1,912

115.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 £6.11

$3.02 ฿102

171.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 £1.97

$1.02 ฿34.33

158.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.3 £38.34

$3.69 ฿125

1291.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.47 ฿49.76

40.82%

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

$38.8K £29.0K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

44.88%

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

$40.3K £30.1K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

51.12%

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

$338 £253

$96.4 ฿3,251

251.17%

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

$18.64 £13.92

$11.26 ฿380

65.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.43 £32.43

$16.85 ฿568

157.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 £43.75

$67.2 ฿2,268

-12.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.89 £15.60

$10.73 ฿362

94.69%

Cinema Ticket

$17.04 £12.73

$7.50 ฿253

127.20%

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

$2,515 £1,878

$476 ฿16.1K

428.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K £27.2K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

223.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 £67.4

$62.4 ฿2,104

44.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.31 £36.07

$28.41 ฿958

70.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 £69.7

$94.3 ฿3,181

-1.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 £95.6

$85.8 ฿2,895

49.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 £1,569

$716 ฿24.2K

193.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 £1,281

$491 ฿16.6K

249.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,163 £2,362

$1,927 ฿65.0K

64.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,557 £1,909

$1,431 ฿48.3K

78.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,228 £6,890

$4,175 ฿140.9K

121.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,031 £4,503

$3,045 ฿102.7K

98.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,537 £3,387

$502 ฿16.9K

803.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

5.57

-9.52%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.7K 53.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 71.4% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$400 12.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 68.9% $276

Eating Out

Cambridge

$332 10.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 63.3% $210

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$331 10.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 19.5% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$162 5.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 24.7% $40

Getting Around

Cambridge

$159 5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 55.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$93 2.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 11.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,102 in Cambridge versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cambridge are about 9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Cambridge versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

06:18 6:18 AM

7 h ahead of Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,818

79,308

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cambridge Phuket 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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

Cambridge vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cambridge is pricier by about 150%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,788 per month in Cambridge and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $2,102 in Cambridge.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Cambridge and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,192 in Cambridge and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 60% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Cambridge at $3,192. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cambridge it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cambridge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.