Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $2,073 in Durham, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Durham
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Durham Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Durham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,073

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,073 in Durham versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Durham $2,073
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,286 in Durham versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Durham $3,286
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,498 in Durham versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Durham $4,498
Phuket $2,822

Living in Durham is roughly 74% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Durham is 55% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.57 £14.79

$4.35 ฿146

349.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.4 £70.6

$32.45 ฿1,087

187.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 £8.61

$8.42 ฿282

35.39%

Cappuccino

$4.56 £3.44

$2.81 ฿94.0

62.28%

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

$2.54 £1.92

$0.87 ฿29.29

191.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.54

$0.46 ฿15.39

343.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.08 £4.59

$2.59 ฿86.6

134.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 £4.03

$3.64 ฿122

46.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.47

$1.71 ฿57.2

14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 £1.17

$1.45 ฿48.42

6.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 £2.29

$1.56 ฿52.3

94.23%

Eggs

$4.37 £3.30

$2.10 ฿70.3

108.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 £7.57

$19.53 ฿654

-48.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 £6.69

$3.40 ฿114

160.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.35 £16.13

$11.14 ฿373

91.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 £2.21

$2.83 ฿94.8

3.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 £1.91

$1.62 ฿54.3

56.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 £2.08

$2.22 ฿74.5

23.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.08 £3.84

$2.15 ฿71.9

136.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 £1.18

$1.49 ฿49.95

4.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.29

$1.33 ฿44.40

27.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.80

$1.07 ฿35.72

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.42

$0.51 ฿17.01

268.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.61 £17.84

$4.38 ฿147

439.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 £8.04

$18.77 ฿629

-43.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.31 £2.50

$1.74 ฿58.3

90.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.38

$2.78 ฿92.9

13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 £2.44

$2.17 ฿72.6

48.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.9 £65.7

$22.28 ฿746

290.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 £4.83

$3.02 ฿101

111.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 £1.46

$1.06 ฿35.43

82.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.68 £17.89

$3.71 ฿124

538.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.42

$1.43 ฿47.88

31.47%

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

$37.8K £28.6K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

43.64%

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

$41.1K £31.1K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

56.87%

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

$265 £200

$96.7 ฿3,236

173.67%

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

$15.21 £11.49

$11.41 ฿382

33.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.95 £32.45

$17.11 ฿573

151.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.78 £35.35

$52.8 ฿1,768

-11.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$12.51 £9.45

$7.65 ฿256

63.53%

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

$1,300 £982

$555 ฿18.6K

134.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £19.1K

$11.3K ฿377.7K

123.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £80.3

$63.4 ฿2,123

67.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 £53.9

$28.61 ฿958

149.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 £86.1

$96.7 ฿3,238

17.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.2 £73.5

$88.6 ฿2,967

9.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,539 £1,163

$735 ฿24.6K

109.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 £562

$458 ฿15.3K

62.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 £2,011

$2,102 ฿70.4K

26.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 £1,183

$1,187 ฿39.7K

31.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,034 £3,804

$3,493 ฿116.9K

44.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,862 £2,919

$2,491 ฿83.4K

55.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,064 £1,559

$501 ฿16.8K

311.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.18

5.57

-7.00%

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

Last update for Durham: October 4, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Durham

$743 35.7%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 38.4% $285

Groceries & Markets

Durham

$348 16.7%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 23% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham

$323 15.5%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 61.2% $198

Eating Out

Durham

$305 14.6%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 60.9% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Durham

$175 8.4%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 28.7% $50

Getting Around

Durham

$116 5.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 66.1% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Durham

$72 3.5%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 5.1% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,539 in Durham and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham pays 312% 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: $93.0 in Durham vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Durham

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:25 3:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

6 h ahead of Durham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,100

79,308

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Durham Phuket 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Durham
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

Durham vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durham and Phuket differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($2,073 vs $1,190 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 312% higher in Durham, 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: $1,539 in Durham versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,073 per month in Durham versus $1,190 in Phuket – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 290% less than in Durham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,073 in Durham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Durham. 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, Durham 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 74% less than in Durham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.