Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Cardiff and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,489 in Cardiff versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,431 in Cardiff versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,374 in Cardiff versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Cardiff is roughly 99% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cardiff is 81% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 £15.18

$4.56 ฿151

348.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.4 £64.8

$32.62 ฿1,082

168.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 £8.20

$8.90 ฿295

24.16%

Cappuccino

$4.72 £3.50

$2.80 ฿93.0

68.57%

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

$3.19 £2.37

$0.88 ฿29.19

262.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 £1.52

$0.49 ฿16.23

320.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 £5.84

$2.39 ฿79.2

229.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 £4.42

$3.71 ฿123

60.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.33

$1.79 ฿59.3

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 £1.13

$1.44 ฿47.81

5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 £1.63

$1.58 ฿52.6

39.24%

Eggs

$3.76 £2.79

$2.13 ฿70.5

76.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.78 £7.25

$19.92 ฿661

-50.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.62 £6.40

$3.43 ฿114

151.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 £10.63

$11.33 ฿376

26.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 £2.11

$2.95 ฿97.8

-3.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 £1.18

$1.72 ฿57.1

-7.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 £2.28

$2.32 ฿77.1

32.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 £2.40

$2.08 ฿69.0

55.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.47 ฿48.77

31.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.13

$1.36 ฿45.05

11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 £0.83

$1.10 ฿36.45

1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 £1.07

$0.57 ฿19.06

152.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.77 £16.89

$4.27 ฿142

433.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.40 £8.46

$18.42 ฿611

-38.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 £2.30

$1.87 ฿62.1

66.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.39

$2.92 ฿96.9

10.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.25 £2.41

$2.22 ฿73.6

46.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.3 £60.3

$22.90 ฿759

254.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.71 £3.49

$3.03 ฿101

55.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.07 ฿35.63

58.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.79 £27.29

$3.93 ฿130

836.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.56

$1.49 ฿49.49

41.61%

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

$39.1K £29.0K

$27.1K ฿899.8K

43.96%

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

$40.8K £30.2K

$27.5K ฿910.6K

48.51%

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

$314 £233

$103 ฿3,410

205.76%

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

$26.23 £19.46

$10.99 ฿365

138.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.23 £34.29

$17.51 ฿581

164.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.85 £25.11

$53.5 ฿1,776

-36.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.04 £8.93

$11.20 ฿371

7.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.70 £7.94

$7.48 ฿248

43.05%

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

$2,028 £1,504

$557 ฿18.5K

264.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.0K £24.5K

$11.9K ฿393.2K

178.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.3 £72.9

$64.1 ฿2,125

53.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.02 £36.36

$29.07 ฿964

68.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 £86.9

$96.0 ฿3,183

22.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.6 £73.9

$90.3 ฿2,997

10.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 £910

$730 ฿24.2K

67.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 £821

$500 ฿16.6K

121.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,203 £1,634

$2,090 ฿69.3K

5.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,547 £1,147

$1,209 ฿40.1K

27.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,566 £4,128

$3,596 ฿119.3K

54.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,550 £2,633

$2,512 ฿83.3K

41.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,282 £2,434

$503 ฿16.7K

552.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

5.57

-8.26%

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

Last update for Cardiff: August 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,227 in Cardiff and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cardiff pays 552% 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: $87.0 in Cardiff vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 vs $273 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

Cardiff vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cardiff and Phuket differ by about 99% in total monthly costs ($2,489 vs $1,253 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 552% higher in Cardiff, 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: $1,227 in Cardiff versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $87.0 in Cardiff. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,489 per month in Cardiff versus $1,253 in Phuket – a 99% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,489 in Cardiff, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cardiff. 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, Cardiff 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 99% less than in Cardiff. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.