Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $3,149 per month in Cambridge vs $1,223 in Phuket, rent included.

A couple spends around $4,470 per month in Cambridge vs $2,237 in Phuket, rent included.

A family of three spends $5,791 per month in Cambridge vs $3,251 in Phuket, rent included.

Cambridge costs about 157% more than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Cambridge sits 136% above the global median, while Phuket is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.68 £20.61

$4.51 ฿147

513.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.2 £70.2

$46.62 ฿1,515

102.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 £8.25

$8.49 ฿276

30.39%

Cappuccino

$4.86 £3.62

$3.08 ฿100

57.79%

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

$2.91 £2.17

$0.68 ฿22.07

327.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 £1.53

$0.36 ฿11.75

469.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 £6.16

$2.43 ฿78.8

240.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.00 £5.96

$3.63 ฿118

120.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.39

$2.19 ฿71.1

-14.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.17 £1.61

$1.81 ฿59.0

19.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 £2.07

$2.23 ฿72.5

24.66%

Eggs

$4.61 £3.43

$2.24 ฿72.7

105.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 £9.23

$19.60 ฿637

-36.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 £7.69

$3.72 ฿121

177.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.58 £13.09

$13.47 ฿438

30.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 £2.49

$3.36 ฿109

-0.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.62 ฿52.5

21.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.76 £2.80

$2.41 ฿78.3

56.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.70 £2.75

$1.99 ฿64.6

85.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 £1.38

$1.53 ฿49.76

20.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 £1.55

$1.45 ฿47.19

43.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 £1.00

$1.01 ฿32.96

32.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 £1.13

$0.48 ฿15.73

216.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.77 £15.47

$4.27 ฿139

386.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 £8.22

$19.12 ฿621

-42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.40 £2.54

$1.84 ฿59.7

84.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 £3.09

$2.74 ฿89.1

51.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.77 £2.06

$1.42 ฿46.06

95.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 £61.9

$11.72 ฿381

608.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 £5.20

$3.00 ฿97.6

132.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 £1.84

$1.05 ฿34.00

135.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$54.5 £40.57

$13.90 ฿452

291.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.46

$1.29 ฿41.94

51.94%

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

$38.5K £28.7K

$28.0K ฿911.1K

37.32%

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

$44.5K £33.2K

$33.5K ฿1.1M

32.86%

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

$341 £254

$122 ฿3,964

179.76%

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

$15.60 £11.62

$13.93 ฿453

11.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.91 £29.73

$18.87 ฿613

111.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.8 £54.2

$61.3 ฿1,992

18.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.64 £10.90

$16.84 ฿547

-13.06%

Cinema Ticket

$16.55 £12.33

$8.89 ฿289

86.16%

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

$2,286 £1,702

$691 ฿22.5K

230.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K £17.0K

$16.2K ฿525.2K

41.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 £64.2

$57.8 ฿1,878

49.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 £41.35

$35.39 ฿1,150

56.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 £65.1

$113 ฿3,685

-22.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 £92.2

$83.0 ฿2,698

49.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 £1,436

$607 ฿19.7K

217.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 £1,207

$448 ฿14.6K

261.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,627 £2,701

$2,029 ฿66.0K

78.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,479 £1,846

$1,493 ฿48.5K

66.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,984 £6,691

$3,585 ฿116.5K

150.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,967 £4,444

$2,585 ฿84.0K

130.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,455 £3,318

$505 ฿16.4K

782.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.33

3.94%

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

Last update for Cambridge: June 16, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,928 in Cambridge versus $607 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 run about 783% higher in Cambridge, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Cambridge versus $47.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $292 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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 157%, and the gap shows up most in Eating Out. It's not just housing either; the difference applies across most spending categories.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,724 per month in Cambridge and $1,835 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Cambridge and $47.00 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 $3,149 in Cambridge and $1,223 in Phuket. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,223, than in Cambridge at $3,149. 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 have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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