Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Croydon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,932 in Croydon, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Croydon, United Kingdom
Phuket, Thailand
Croydon
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,932
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,932 per month in Croydon vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Croydon $2,932
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,998 per month in Croydon vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Croydon $3,998
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,065 per month in Croydon vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Croydon $5,065
  • Phuket $3,154

Croydon costs about 129% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Croydon sits 115% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Croydon
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.18 £15.07
$4.47 ฿151
351.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.2 £53.9
$32.41 ฿1,094
122.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.65 £7.21
$8.81 ฿297
9.53%
Cappuccino
$5.10 £3.81
$2.83 ฿95.4
80.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 £2.04
$0.87 ฿29.42
213.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 £1.10
$0.49 ฿16.66
200.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.08 £4.54
$2.56 ฿86.3
137.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.14 £4.58
$3.68 ฿124
66.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Croydon
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.60 £1.20
$1.66 ฿56.0
-3.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 £1.05
$1.46 ฿49.32
-3.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.69 £2.01
$1.50 ฿50.5
79.33%
Eggs
$3.98 £2.97
$2.09 ฿70.5
90.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.46 £7.82
$19.07 ฿643
-45.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.15 £6.09
$3.30 ฿111
146.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.41 £10.02
$10.91 ฿368
22.91%
Apples (1kg)
$2.38 £1.78
$2.93 ฿98.9
-18.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 £0.93
$1.69 ฿57.0
-26.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.05 £2.28
$2.25 ฿75.8
35.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 £1.57
$2.08 ฿70.1
0.96%
Potato (1kg)
$3.12 £2.33
$1.51 ฿51.0
106.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 £1.37
$1.38 ฿46.54
33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 £1.11
$1.07 ฿35.97
38.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 £1.12
$0.52 ฿17.51
188.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.45 £17.52
$4.20 ฿142
458.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.27 £9.92
$18.79 ฿634
-29.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 £1.75
$1.82 ฿61.5
29.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 £2.05
$2.84 ฿95.9
-3.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Croydon
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.30 £1.72
$1.45 ฿49.00
58.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$134 £99.9
$56.7 ฿1,912
136.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.59 £4.92
$3.02 ฿102
118.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.02 ฿34.34
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$54.0 £40.32
$3.69 ฿125
1362.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.01 £1.50
$1.47 ฿49.78
36.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.0K £29.1K
$26.8K ฿903.7K
45.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.4K £30.9K
$26.7K ฿900.8K
55.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Croydon
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$316 £236
$96.4 ฿3,252
227.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.89 £22.33
$11.26 ฿380
165.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.53 £29.53
$16.85 ฿569
134.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Croydon
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.99 £27.63
$67.2 ฿2,269
-44.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.15 £15.05
$10.73 ฿362
87.79%
Cinema Ticket
$12.03 £8.99
$7.50 ฿253
60.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Croydon
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,692 £1,264
$476 ฿16.1K
255.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.7K £17.7K
$11.3K ฿380.1K
110.38%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Croydon
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$65.9 £49.19
$62.4 ฿2,105
5.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.74 £36.41
$28.41 ฿959
71.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.9 £70.1
$94.3 ฿3,182
-0.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$150 £112
$85.8 ฿2,896
74.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Croydon
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 £1,505
$716 ฿24.2K
181.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,572 £1,174
$491 ฿16.6K
220.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,814 £2,102
$1,927 ฿65.0K
46.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,186 £1,633
$1,431 ฿48.3K
52.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,032 £6,000
$4,175 ฿140.9K
92.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,784 £4,321
$3,045 ฿102.8K
89.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Croydon
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,462 £3,334
$502 ฿17.0K
788.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.06
5.57
-9.16%

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

Last update for Croydon: 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
Croydon
$1.6K
Phuket
$491 68.8% $1.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Croydon
$385
Phuket
$124 67.7% $261
Eating Out
Croydon
$311
Phuket
$122 60.9% $189
Groceries & Markets
Croydon
$292
Phuket
$266 8.8% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Croydon
$161
Phuket
$122 24.4% $39
Getting Around
Croydon
$150 *
Phuket
$71 52.8% $79
Sport & Entertainment
Croydon
$61
Phuket
$82 34.7% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,014 in Croydon 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 Croydon are about 8.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Croydon versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Croydon
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
09:51 9:51 AM
16:51 4:51 PM
7 h ahead of Croydon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
173,314
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Croydon Phuket 9,910 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Croydon
  • 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
Croydon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Croydon?
Yes – Croydon is pricier by about 129%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,398 per month in Croydon and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $2,014 in Croydon.
What are total monthly expenses in Croydon and in Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,932 in Croydon and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 56% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 58% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Croydon or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Croydon at $2,932. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Croydon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Croydon or Phuket more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Croydon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Croydon vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?