Cost of Living Comparison Between Carmarthen and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Carmarthen and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,999 in Carmarthen versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,963 in Carmarthen versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,928 in Carmarthen versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Carmarthen is roughly 60% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Carmarthen is 50% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 £14.98

$4.55 ฿153

342.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 £49.80

$46.18 ฿1,553

44.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 £6.99

$8.84 ฿297

6.22%

Cappuccino

$3.61 £2.69

$3.06 ฿103

17.97%

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

$2.60 £1.94

$0.73 ฿24.40

256.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 £1.28

$0.40 ฿13.39

330.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.41 £4.03

$2.43 ฿81.8

122.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 £3.46

$3.78 ฿127

23.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 £1.33

$2.26 ฿76.0

-21.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.81 ฿60.9

-35.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 £2.25

$2.25 ฿75.8

34.22%

Eggs

$4.70 £3.50

$2.25 ฿75.5

108.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 £7.88

$19.51 ฿656

-45.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.62 £7.91

$3.65 ฿123

190.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.48 £13.02

$13.05 ฿439

33.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 £2.79

$3.23 ฿109

16.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 £0.78

$1.62 ฿54.4

-35.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.87 £3.63

$2.38 ฿80.1

104.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 £3.35

$2.03 ฿68.1

121.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 £0.74

$1.53 ฿51.6

-35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.50 ฿50.5

13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 £0.49

$0.98 ฿32.91

-32.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 £0.44

$0.52 ฿17.39

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.41 £12.96

$4.44 ฿149

292.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 £8.54

$18.32 ฿616

-37.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 £1.76

$1.86 ฿62.7

26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.34

$2.68 ฿90.1

17.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.67 £3.47

$1.41 ฿47.46

231.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.3 £67.2

$11.70 ฿393

671.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 £2.97

$3.11 ฿105

28.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 £1.19

$1.04 ฿35.06

53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.23 £20.27

$14.11 ฿474

92.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.31 ฿44.10

45.04%

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

$40.1K £29.8K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

44.09%

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

$44.3K £33.0K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

33.27%

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

$348 £259

$122 ฿4,118

183.89%

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

$18.39 £13.69

$13.59 ฿457

35.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 £41.01

$18.70 ฿629

194.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 £41.10

$60.5 ฿2,034

-8.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 £5.08

$9.07 ฿305

-24.81%

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

$1,579 £1,175

$706 ฿23.8K

123.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K £12.2K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

3.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 £64.2

$58.6 ฿1,969

47.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.55 £22.74

$35.36 ฿1,189

-13.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 £68.5

$115 ฿3,883

-20.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.1 £63.3

$83.7 ฿2,816

1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 £607

$626 ฿21.0K

30.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 £448

$445 ฿15.0K

35.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 £952

$2,040 ฿68.6K

-37.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 £823

$1,492 ฿50.2K

-25.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,927 £3,668

$3,483 ฿117.1K

41.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,015 £1,500

$500 ฿16.8K

303.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.33

10.69%

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

Last update for Carmarthen: July 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $816 in Carmarthen and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carmarthen pays 303% 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: $67.0 in Carmarthen vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $289 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

Carmarthen vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 60% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 303% higher in Carmarthen, 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: $816 in Carmarthen versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Carmarthen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $67.0 in Carmarthen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,999 in Carmarthen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Carmarthen. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Carmarthen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Carmarthen 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 60% less than in Carmarthen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.