Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort William and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort William and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,532 in Fort William versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,652 in Fort William versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,772 in Fort William versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Fort William is roughly 102% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fort William is 84% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.55 £15.20

$4.56 ฿150

350.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 £65.9

$32.62 ฿1,073

172.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.78 £7.98

$8.90 ฿293

21.12%

Cappuccino

$4.71 £3.48

$2.80 ฿92.3

68.21%

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

$2.65 £1.96

$0.88 ฿28.96

201.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.50

$0.49 ฿16.09

314.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 £5.00

$2.39 ฿78.6

182.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 £5.10

$3.71 ฿122

85.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 £1.13

$1.79 ฿58.8

-14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 £1.38

$1.44 ฿47.43

29.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 £1.41

$1.58 ฿52.1

20.25%

Eggs

$3.65 £2.70

$2.13 ฿70.0

71.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 £6.54

$19.92 ฿655

-55.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.68 £7.90

$3.43 ฿113

211.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.67 £11.59

$11.33 ฿373

38.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.23

$2.95 ฿97.0

2.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.04

$1.72 ฿56.6

-18.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 £1.56

$2.32 ฿76.5

-9.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 £2.89

$2.08 ฿68.5

87.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 £0.87

$1.47 ฿48.37

-20.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 £1.03

$1.36 ฿44.68

2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 £0.97

$1.10 ฿36.15

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.22

$0.57 ฿18.90

189.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.48 £15.89

$4.27 ฿140

403.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.25 £8.32

$18.42 ฿606

-38.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 £2.02

$1.87 ฿61.6

45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 £2.33

$2.92 ฿96.1

7.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.65 £2.70

$2.22 ฿73.0

64.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.8 £70.2

$22.90 ฿753

314.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.17 £3.08

$3.03 ฿99.7

37.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 £1.82

$1.07 ฿35.34

129.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.18 £17.89

$3.93 ฿129

515.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.53

$1.49 ฿49.09

38.93%

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

$38.7K £28.6K

$27.1K ฿892.5K

42.60%

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

$41.3K £30.6K

$27.5K ฿903.2K

50.58%

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

$390 £288

$103 ฿3,382

279.14%

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

$29.91 £22.13

$10.99 ฿362

172.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.10 £33.36

$17.51 ฿576

157.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.61 £35.22

$53.5 ฿1,761

-11.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 £8.72

$7.48 ฿246

57.62%

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

$1,803 £1,334

$557 ฿18.3K

223.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K £17.8K

$11.9K ฿390.0K

103.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 £74.2

$64.1 ฿2,108

56.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.08 £36.31

$29.07 ฿957

68.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £78.3

$96.0 ฿3,157

10.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 £87.5

$90.3 ฿2,972

30.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 £929

$730 ฿24.0K

71.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 £766

$500 ฿16.4K

107.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 £1,584

$2,090 ฿68.8K

2.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,705 £1,262

$1,209 ฿39.8K

41.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,275 £3,903

$3,596 ฿118.3K

46.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,675 £2,719

$2,512 ฿82.7K

46.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,062 £1,525

$503 ฿16.6K

309.55%

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 Fort William: August 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,256 in Fort William and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort William pays 310% 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: $89.0 in Fort William vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 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

Fort William vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 310% higher in Fort William, 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: $1,256 in Fort William versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Fort William. 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 $33.00 versus $89.0 in Fort William. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,532 in Fort William, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Fort William. 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 Fort William, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Fort William 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 102% less than in Fort William. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.