Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheltenham and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheltenham and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,148 in Cheltenham versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,224 in Cheltenham versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,300 in Cheltenham versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Cheltenham is roughly 70% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cheltenham is 60% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 £15.00

$4.70 ฿154

328.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 £59.9

$45.37 ฿1,483

77.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 £8.22

$8.43 ฿276

30.96%

Cappuccino

$4.55 £3.39

$2.93 ฿95.7

55.29%

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

$2.04 £1.52

$0.69 ฿22.42

195.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 £1.03

$0.37 ฿12.00

272.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 £4.15

$2.41 ฿78.7

131.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.10

$3.72 ฿122

83.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 £1.09

$2.23 ฿73.0

-34.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 £0.53

$1.83 ฿59.9

-61.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 £1.47

$2.17 ฿70.9

-8.76%

Eggs

$4.45 £3.32

$2.21 ฿72.4

101.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.75 £3.53

$19.74 ฿645

-75.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.41 £5.52

$3.63 ฿119

104.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.55 £11.58

$13.53 ฿442

14.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 £1.54

$3.28 ฿107

-36.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.61 ฿52.7

6.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 £1.54

$2.41 ฿78.7

-14.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 £2.57

$2.08 ฿68.1

65.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 £1.00

$1.53 ฿49.97

-12.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 £1.37

$1.48 ฿48.41

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 £0.80

$0.99 ฿32.32

8.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 £1.17

$0.51 ฿16.68

207.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.02 £12.68

$4.41 ฿144

285.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.02 £8.21

$19.38 ฿634

-43.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.45

$1.78 ฿58.1

9.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.44

$2.71 ฿88.7

-28.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.50 £2.60

$1.37 ฿44.83

155.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.3 £42.65

$11.39 ฿372

402.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 £2.97

$3.02 ฿98.7

32.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 £1.04

$0.99 ฿32.51

40.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.82 £19.23

$14.10 ฿461

83.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.36 ฿44.55

44.85%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$28.2K ฿921.9K

35.54%

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

$42.0K £31.2K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

27.51%

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

$257 £191

$122 ฿3,978

110.86%

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

$15.72 £11.71

$13.57 ฿444

15.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.39 £31.57

$18.31 ฿599

131.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.97 £32.75

$60.2 ฿1,969

-26.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.08 £17.93

$17.14 ฿560

40.49%

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 £9.94

$8.69 ฿284

53.51%

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

$1,374 £1,023

$693 ฿22.7K

98.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K £10.2K

$15.7K ฿512.8K

-13.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 £83.4

$59.5 ฿1,946

88.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.79 £26.65

$34.77 ฿1,137

2.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 £83.3

$115 ฿3,746

-2.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £72.4

$83.3 ฿2,723

16.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 £900

$613 ฿20.0K

97.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 £698

$437 ฿14.3K

114.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 £1,691

$2,094 ฿68.5K

8.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,637 £1,219

$1,509 ฿49.3K

8.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,704 £4,248

$3,749 ฿122.6K

52.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,779 £4,304

$2,616 ฿85.5K

120.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,932 £2,929

$508 ฿16.6K

673.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.79

5.33

8.63%

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

Last update for Cheltenham: June 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,209 in Cheltenham and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 674% 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: $80.0 in Cheltenham vs $45.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $293, with Cheltenham cheaper for home cooking.

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

Cheltenham vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 70% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Cheltenham pays 674% more on average, 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: $1,209 in Cheltenham versus $613 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 $45.00 versus $80.0 in Cheltenham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,148 per month in Cheltenham versus $1,265 in Phuket – a 70% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,148 in Cheltenham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cheltenham. 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 Cheltenham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cheltenham 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 70% less than in Cheltenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.