Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harlow and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,330 in Harlow, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,330

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,330 in Harlow versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Harlow $2,330
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,407 in Harlow versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Harlow $3,407
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,483 in Harlow versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Harlow $4,483
Phuket $2,845

Living in Harlow is roughly 93% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Harlow is 72% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.01 £15.76

$4.40 ฿147

377.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.7 £68.8

$32.26 ฿1,078

184.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.86

$8.76 ฿293

19.52%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.83 ฿94.5

93.29%

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

$2.63 £1.97

$0.90 ฿30.14

192.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$0.47 ฿15.56

293.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 £5.11

$2.55 ฿85.2

167.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 £5.15

$3.83 ฿128

79.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.73 ฿57.7

-24.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.47 ฿49.11

-4.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 £0.84

$1.51 ฿50.6

-26.49%

Eggs

$2.38 £1.79

$2.17 ฿72.7

9.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.83 £5.12

$19.70 ฿658

-65.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 £4.54

$3.34 ฿112

81.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.45 £4.84

$11.16 ฿373

-42.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.85 ฿95.1

-28.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.70 ฿56.9

-27.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 £0.87

$2.19 ฿73.3

-47.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$2.05 ฿68.4

-1.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.45 ฿48.57

12.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.38 ฿46.16

-2.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.07 ฿35.69

25.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.07

$0.51 ฿16.91

180.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.29 £15.97

$4.26 ฿142

399.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.33 £7.00

$18.58 ฿621

-49.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 £2.02

$1.78 ฿59.7

51.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.85 ฿95.2

-28.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$2.26 ฿75.6

20.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 £4.38

$3.01 ฿101

94.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.06 ฿35.34

58.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.15 £15.87

$3.86 ฿129

447.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.45 ฿48.45

32.41%

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

$39.0K £29.2K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

48.06%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

48.98%

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

$226 £169

$96.4 ฿3,221

134.40%

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

$11.95 £8.97

$11.04 ฿369

8.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.54 £21.41

$17.14 ฿573

66.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.10 £35.34

$52.2 ฿1,744

-9.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 £6.05

$11.16 ฿373

-27.78%

Cinema Ticket

$12.56 £9.42

$7.81 ฿261

60.82%

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

$1,061 £796

$556 ฿18.6K

90.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

70.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 £51.6

$64.2 ฿2,146

7.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.19 £24.15

$28.69 ฿959

12.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 £57.8

$95.4 ฿3,187

-19.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.33 £29.51

$88.0 ฿2,940

-55.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 £1,053

$737 ฿24.6K

90.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 £996

$462 ฿15.5K

187.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 £1,708

$2,095 ฿70.0K

8.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,182 £1,637

$1,201 ฿40.1K

81.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,013 £2,260

$501 ฿16.7K

501.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

5.57

-11.85%

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

Last update for Harlow: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Harlow

$1.3K 57%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 65.2% $865

Eating Out

Harlow

$331 14.2%

Phuket

$121 10% 63.4% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harlow

$266 11.4%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 53.2% $142

Groceries & Markets

Harlow

$210 9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 28% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Harlow

$98 4.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 27.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Harlow

$72 3.1%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 6.1% $4.4

Getting Around

Harlow

$25 * 1.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 56.8% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,403 in Harlow and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Harlow pays 502% 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: $92.0 in Harlow vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $269, with Harlow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Harlow

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

00:57 12:57 AM

6 h ahead of Harlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,191

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 24, 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 24, 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

Harlow Phuket 9,880 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Harlow
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

Harlow vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Harlow and Phuket differ by about 93% in total monthly costs ($2,330 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 502% higher in Harlow, 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: $1,403 in Harlow versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Harlow pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,330 per month in Harlow versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,330 in Harlow, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Harlow. 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, Harlow 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 93% less than in Harlow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.