Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hastings, United Kingdom and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,693 in Hastings, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hastings, United Kingdom
Phuket, Thailand
Hastings
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,693
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,693 in Hastings versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Hastings $2,693
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,585 in Hastings versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Hastings $3,585
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,477 in Hastings versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Hastings $4,477
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Hastings is roughly 111% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hastings is 98% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hastings
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$24.48 £18.29
$4.47 ฿151
447.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.6 £58.8
$32.41 ฿1,094
142.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.50 £8.59
$8.81 ฿297
30.53%
Cappuccino
$4.38 £3.27
$2.83 ฿95.4
54.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10 £2.32
$0.87 ฿29.42
256.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 £1.01
$0.49 ฿16.66
175.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.76 £5.05
$2.56 ฿86.3
164.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.67 £4.98
$3.68 ฿124
81.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hastings
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.67 £0.50
$1.66 ฿56.0
-59.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.67 £1.25
$1.46 ฿49.32
14.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.70 £2.02
$1.50 ฿50.5
80.00%
Eggs
$3.28 £2.45
$2.09 ฿70.5
56.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.86 £7.37
$19.07 ฿643
-48.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.73 £7.27
$3.30 ฿111
194.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.45 £10.05
$10.91 ฿368
23.28%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 £2.24
$2.93 ฿98.9
2.05%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 £1.26
$1.69 ฿57.0
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.79 £2.09
$2.25 ฿75.8
24.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.40 £2.54
$2.08 ฿70.1
63.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 £1.37
$1.51 ฿51.0
21.19%
Onion (1kg)
$1.57 £1.17
$1.38 ฿46.54
13.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 £0.90
$1.07 ฿35.97
12.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 £1.35
$0.52 ฿17.51
248.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.05 £12.73
$4.20 ฿142
305.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.61 £4.94
$18.79 ฿634
-64.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.96 £2.21
$1.82 ฿61.5
62.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 £2.63
$2.84 ฿95.9
23.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Hastings
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.68 £2.75
$1.45 ฿49.00
153.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96.1 £71.8
$56.7 ฿1,912
69.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.24 £3.17
$3.02 ฿102
40.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 £0.80
$1.02 ฿34.34
4.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.92 £23.85
$3.69 ฿125
765.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 £1.51
$1.47 ฿49.78
37.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K £28.3K
$26.8K ฿903.7K
41.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.0K £29.9K
$26.7K ฿900.8K
49.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hastings
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$332 £248
$96.4 ฿3,252
244.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.22 £15.11
$11.26 ฿380
79.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.3 £39.81
$16.85 ฿569
216.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hastings
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.59 £34.81
$67.2 ฿2,269
-30.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$16.08 £12.01
$7.50 ฿253
114.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hastings
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,618 £1,208
$476 ฿16.1K
239.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.1K £13.5K
$11.3K ฿380.1K
60.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hastings
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102 £76.5
$62.4 ฿2,105
64.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.7 £39.33
$28.41 ฿959
85.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 £75.5
$94.3 ฿3,182
7.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 £98.3
$85.8 ฿2,896
53.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hastings
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,450 £1,083
$716 ฿24.2K
102.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,277 £954
$491 ฿16.6K
160.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,127 £1,589
$1,927 ฿65.0K
10.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,491 £1,114
$1,431 ฿48.3K
4.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,003 £3,738
$4,175 ฿140.9K
19.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,851 £2,877
$3,045 ฿102.8K
26.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hastings
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,316 £2,478
$502 ฿17.0K
560.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.96
5.57
-10.95%

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

Last update for Hastings: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hastings
$1.3K
Phuket
$491 61.6% $786
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hastings
$405
Phuket
$124 69.3% $281
Eating Out
Hastings
$348
Phuket
$122 65% $226
Groceries & Markets
Hastings
$289
Phuket
$266 7.9% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Hastings
$174
Phuket
$122 30.1% $53
Getting Around
Hastings
$120
Phuket
$71 41.4% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Hastings
$79
Phuket
$82 4.4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,450 in Hastings and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hastings pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Hastings vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Hastings
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
13:51 1:51 PM
20:51 8:51 PM
7 h ahead of Hastings
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
92,855
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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hastings Phuket 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hastings
  • 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
Hastings vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Hastings and in Phuket?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,693 in Hastings and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 53% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Hastings or Phuket?
Average pay in Hastings is about 6.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Hastings and in Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,450 in Hastings versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Hastings or Phuket?
All in, you’ll spend $2,693 per month in Hastings versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Hastings and in Phuket?
A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 41% less than in Hastings. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,693 in Hastings, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Hastings. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Hastings and Phuket?
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.
Where should expats move: Hastings or Phuket?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Hastings. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Hastings vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?