Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grays and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,369 in Grays, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Grays
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Grays Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Grays

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,369

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,369 per month in Grays vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Grays $2,369
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $3,403 per month in Grays vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Grays $3,403
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $4,437 per month in Grays vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Grays $4,437
Phuket $2,867

Grays costs about 96% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Grays sits 75% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.94 £18.71

$4.58 ฿153

444.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 £39.24

$32.48 ฿1,086

61.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 £7.49

$8.55 ฿286

16.73%

Cappuccino

$4.64 £3.48

$2.72 ฿91.0

70.59%

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

$3.86 £2.90

$0.94 ฿31.25

310.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 £2.49

$0.49 ฿16.39

577.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 £4.05

$2.59 ฿86.6

108.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 £5.91

$3.83 ฿128

105.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.74 ฿58.1

-10.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.43 ฿47.82

2.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.53 ฿51.0

7.19%

Eggs

$4.41 £3.31

$2.17 ฿72.7

103.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 £9.05

$19.15 ฿640

-37.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 £6.88

$3.30 ฿110

177.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 £11.33

$11.14 ฿372

35.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.21

$2.95 ฿98.5

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.68 ฿56.1

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$2.30 ฿76.8

22.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 £2.83

$2.13 ฿71.3

77.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.53 ฿51.1

43.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 £1.35

$1.36 ฿45.55

31.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.12 ฿37.44

5.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.07

$0.55 ฿18.24

160.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.07 £12.80

$4.26 ฿142

300.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 £8.16

$18.19 ฿608

-40.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$1.74 ฿58.2

74.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.79 ฿93.3

15.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 £2.66

$2.22 ฿74.1

59.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 £73.1

$22.06 ฿737

341.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 £3.66

$2.91 ฿97.3

67.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.02

$1.01 ฿33.79

166.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.12 £29.35

$3.83 ฿128

921.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.49 ฿49.85

38.26%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

44.71%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

53.18%

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

$280 £210

$99.4 ฿3,321

181.27%

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

$16.46 £12.35

$11.28 ฿377

45.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.70 £33.53

$17.36 ฿580

157.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 £34.87

$52.3 ฿1,747

-11.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 £8.37

$7.57 ฿253

47.42%

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

$2,079 £1,559

$558 ฿18.7K

272.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K £23.0K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

166.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 £68.2

$62.9 ฿2,102

44.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.44 £33.34

$28.58 ฿955

55.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.4

$96.1 ฿3,213

8.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 £66.0

$88.1 ฿2,943

-0.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 £926

$729 ฿24.4K

69.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 £759

$460 ฿15.4K

120.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 £1,595

$2,096 ฿70.0K

1.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 £1,226

$1,222 ฿40.8K

33.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,052 £3,790

$3,459 ฿115.6K

46.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

$2,489 ฿83.2K

54.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

5.57

-8.08%

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

Last update for Grays: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grays

$1K 42.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 54.5% $552

Eating Out

Grays

$357 15.1%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 66% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grays

$341 14.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 62.4% $213

Groceries & Markets

Grays

$313 13.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 14.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Grays

$148 6.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 15.9% $23

Getting Around

Grays

$130 5.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 70.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Grays

$69 2.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 2% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,235 in Grays versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Grays versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $313 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Grays

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

13:25 1:25 PM

6 h ahead of Grays

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,601

79,308

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grays Phuket 9,880 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Grays
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

Grays vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Grays is pricier by about 96%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,553 per month in Grays and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,369 in Grays and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 96%.

Public transport costs about 342% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Grays at $2,369. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grays it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Grays makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.