Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guildford and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,168 in Guildford, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Guildford, United Kingdom
Phuket, Thailand
Guildford
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,168
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,168 per month in Guildford vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Guildford $3,168
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $4,474 per month in Guildford vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Guildford $4,474
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,779 per month in Guildford vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Guildford $5,779
  • Phuket $3,154

Guildford costs about 148% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Guildford sits 133% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guildford
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$29.72 £22.37
$4.47 ฿151
564.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$93.3 £70.2
$32.41 ฿1,094
187.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.23 £8.45
$8.81 ฿297
27.47%
Cappuccino
$5.04 £3.79
$2.83 ฿95.5
78.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 £2.04
$0.87 ฿29.43
211.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 £1.17
$0.49 ฿16.67
218.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.56 £6.44
$2.56 ฿86.4
234.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.84 £5.14
$3.68 ฿124
85.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guildford
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 £1.16
$1.66 ฿56.0
-6.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.33 £1.00
$1.46 ฿49.35
-8.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 £1.48
$1.50 ฿50.6
31.33%
Eggs
$4.36 £3.28
$2.09 ฿70.5
108.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.56 £10.20
$19.07 ฿644
-28.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.24 £7.71
$3.30 ฿111
210.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.16 £12.16
$10.91 ฿368
48.12%
Apples (1kg)
$3.54 £2.66
$2.93 ฿99.0
20.82%
Banana (1kg)
$2.12 £1.60
$1.69 ฿57.1
25.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.73 £2.81
$2.25 ฿75.8
65.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.43 £4.08
$2.08 ฿70.1
161.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 £1.45
$1.51 ฿51.0
27.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.44 £1.08
$1.38 ฿46.56
4.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 £0.86
$1.07 ฿35.99
7.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 £1.12
$0.52 ฿17.52
184.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.07 £18.12
$4.20 ฿142
473.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.95 £9.00
$18.79 ฿634
-36.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 £1.88
$1.82 ฿61.5
37.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 £2.30
$2.84 ฿95.9
7.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Guildford
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.13 £2.36
$1.45 ฿49.03
115.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$94.2 £70.9
$56.7 ฿1,913
66.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.60 £3.47
$3.02 ฿102
52.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 £1.52
$1.02 ฿34.36
98.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.80 £30.70
$3.69 ฿125
1005.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 £1.53
$1.47 ฿49.81
38.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.2K £29.5K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
46.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.1K £30.9K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
54.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guildford
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$398 £299
$96.4 ฿3,254
312.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.59 £15.50
$11.26 ฿380
82.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$46.34 £34.88
$16.85 ฿569
175.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guildford
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.7 £38.91
$67.2 ฿2,270
-23.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.05 £17.35
$10.73 ฿362
114.82%
Cinema Ticket
$10.51 £7.91
$7.50 ฿253
40.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guildford
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,390 £1,799
$476 ฿16.1K
402.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.5K £18.4K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
117.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guildford
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111 £83.4
$62.4 ฿2,106
77.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.8 £50.3
$28.41 ฿959
135.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 £88.8
$94.3 ฿3,184
25.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$127 £95.7
$85.8 ฿2,898
48.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guildford
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,946 £1,465
$716 ฿24.2K
171.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,573 £1,184
$491 ฿16.6K
220.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,908 £2,189
$1,927 ฿65.1K
50.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,363 £1,778
$1,431 ฿48.3K
65.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,969 £5,998
$4,175 ฿141.0K
90.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,803 £5,120
$3,045 ฿102.8K
123.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guildford
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,678 £2,768
$502 ฿17.0K
632.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.13
5.57
-7.90%

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

Last update for Guildford: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Guildford
$1.6K
Phuket
$491 68.8% $1.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guildford
$465
Phuket
$124 73.2% $340
Eating Out
Guildford
$405
Phuket
$122 70% $284
Groceries & Markets
Guildford
$340
Phuket
$266 21.8% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Guildford
$190
Phuket
$122 35.9% $68
Getting Around
Guildford
$121
Phuket
$71 41.9% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Guildford
$73
Phuket
$82 13.1% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,946 in Guildford 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 Guildford are about 7.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93 in Guildford versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Guildford
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
21:16 9:16 PM
04:16 4:16 AM
7 h ahead of Guildford
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
66,773
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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guildford Phuket 9,940 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Guildford
  • 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
Guildford vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Guildford?
Yes – Guildford is pricier by about 148%, 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 $4,752 per month in Guildford 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 $1,946 in Guildford.
How do food prices compare in Guildford and in Phuket?
Groceries cost about 28% more in Guildford, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is eating out cheaper in Guildford or in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $93 in Guildford and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Guildford or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Guildford at $3,168. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guildford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Guildford 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 safer, Guildford or Phuket?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
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, Guildford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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