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: $2,447 in Fort William versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,523 in Fort William versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,599 in Fort William versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Fort William is roughly 96% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fort William is 83% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.80 £16.23

$4.55 ฿153

379.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 £61.4

$46.18 ฿1,553

78.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 £7.40

$8.84 ฿297

12.56%

Cappuccino

$4.73 £3.52

$3.06 ฿103

54.58%

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

$2.03 £1.51

$0.73 ฿24.40

178.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 £1.14

$0.40 ฿13.39

285.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.29 £4.68

$2.43 ฿81.8

158.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 £4.95

$3.78 ฿127

75.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 £1.10

$2.26 ฿76.0

-34.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.81 ฿60.9

-7.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.39

$2.25 ฿75.8

-16.89%

Eggs

$3.55 £2.64

$2.25 ฿75.5

57.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.77 £6.53

$19.51 ฿656

-55.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 £7.99

$3.65 ฿123

193.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.86 £10.32

$13.05 ฿439

6.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 £2.20

$3.23 ฿109

-8.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 £0.98

$1.62 ฿54.4

-18.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 £1.55

$2.38 ฿80.1

-12.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 £3.05

$2.03 ฿68.1

101.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 £0.86

$1.53 ฿51.6

-24.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 £1.02

$1.50 ฿50.5

-8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.86

$0.98 ฿32.91

18.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 £1.04

$0.52 ฿17.39

169.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.00 £14.14

$4.44 ฿149

327.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.28

$18.32 ฿616

-39.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 £1.62

$1.86 ฿62.7

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 £1.72

$2.68 ฿90.1

-13.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.46

$1.41 ฿47.46

134.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.3 £65.0

$11.70 ฿393

645.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 £3.64

$3.11 ฿105

57.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.04 ฿35.06

60.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.28 £25.52

$14.11 ฿474

142.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.31 ฿44.10

42.75%

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

$38.4K £28.6K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

38.17%

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

$41.2K £30.7K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

23.99%

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

$388 £289

$122 ฿4,118

216.96%

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

$24.26 £18.06

$13.59 ฿457

78.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.27 £34.45

$18.70 ฿629

147.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.23 £33.68

$60.5 ฿2,034

-25.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 £6.66

$9.07 ฿305

-1.32%

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

$1,836 £1,367

$706 ฿23.8K

159.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K £11.2K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

-4.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.0 £62.6

$58.6 ฿1,969

43.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.66 £30.27

$35.36 ฿1,189

14.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 £71.7

$115 ฿3,883

-16.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £88.7

$83.7 ฿2,816

42.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 £918

$626 ฿21.0K

97.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 £745

$445 ฿15.0K

124.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,074 £1,544

$2,040 ฿68.6K

1.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,679 £1,250

$1,492 ฿50.2K

12.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,250 £3,909

$3,483 ฿117.1K

50.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,008 £1,495

$500 ฿16.8K

301.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

5.33

16.32%

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

Last update for Fort William: July 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,233 in Fort William and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort William pays 302% 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: $82.0 in Fort William vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 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

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 96% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 302% 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: $1,233 in Fort William versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% 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 $46.00 versus $82.0 in Fort William. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,447 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 96% less than in Fort William. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.