Cost of Living Comparison Between Hertfordshire and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Hertfordshire and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,527 in Hertfordshire versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,801 in Hertfordshire versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,074 in Hertfordshire versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Hertfordshire is roughly 102% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hertfordshire is 89% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.68 £19.87

$4.55 ฿153

486.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 £60.0

$46.18 ฿1,553

74.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 £7.99

$8.84 ฿297

21.38%

Cappuccino

$4.74 £3.53

$3.06 ฿103

54.90%

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

$1.91 £1.42

$0.73 ฿24.40

161.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.19

$0.40 ฿13.39

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 £4.12

$2.43 ฿81.8

127.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.30 £3.95

$3.78 ฿127

40.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 £0.82

$2.26 ฿76.0

-50.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 £1.20

$1.81 ฿60.9

-10.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 £1.53

$2.25 ฿75.8

-8.89%

Eggs

$3.06 £2.28

$2.25 ฿75.5

36.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 £7.48

$19.51 ฿656

-48.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.42 £5.52

$3.65 ฿123

103.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.36 £12.93

$13.05 ฿439

33.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 £1.82

$3.23 ฿109

-24.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 £1.56

$1.62 ฿54.4

29.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 £2.50

$2.38 ฿80.1

41.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 £1.96

$2.03 ฿68.1

29.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 £0.68

$1.53 ฿51.6

-40.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.50 ฿50.5

12.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$0.98 ฿32.91

34.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.36

$0.52 ฿17.39

250.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.17 £12.04

$4.44 ฿149

264.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 £8.34

$18.32 ฿616

-38.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 £1.49

$1.86 ฿62.7

8.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 £1.51

$2.68 ฿90.1

-24.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.46

$1.41 ฿47.46

134.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 £66.5

$11.70 ฿393

663.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 £3.35

$3.11 ฿105

44.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.04 ฿35.06

60.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.27 £17.32

$14.11 ฿474

64.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.41

$1.31 ฿44.10

45.04%

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

$38.7K £28.8K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

39.07%

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

$41.2K £30.7K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

23.97%

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

$160 £119

$122 ฿4,118

30.69%

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

$17.46 £13.00

$13.59 ฿457

28.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.77 £26.63

$18.70 ฿629

91.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.71 £34.78

$60.5 ฿2,034

-22.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

Cinema Ticket

$12.07 £8.99

$9.07 ฿305

33.08%

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

$1,743 £1,297

$706 ฿23.8K

146.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K £13.7K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

16.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.10 £35.06

$58.6 ฿1,969

-19.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.58

$35.36 ฿1,189

54.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 £52.1

$115 ฿3,883

-39.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 £66.6

$83.7 ฿2,816

6.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 £1,340

$626 ฿21.0K

187.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,378 £1,026

$445 ฿15.0K

209.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,964 £2,207

$2,040 ฿68.6K

45.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,418 £1,800

$1,492 ฿50.2K

62.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,300 £2,457

$500 ฿16.8K

560.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

5.33

11.26%

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

Last update for Hertfordshire: July 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,799 in Hertfordshire and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hertfordshire pays 560% 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: $81.0 in Hertfordshire vs $46.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $289, with Hertfordshire cheaper for home cooking.

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

Hertfordshire vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 560% higher in Hertfordshire, 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: $1,799 in Hertfordshire versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $81.0 in Hertfordshire. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,527 per month in Hertfordshire versus $1,250 in Phuket – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,527 in Hertfordshire, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Hertfordshire. 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 Hertfordshire, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Hertfordshire 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 102% less than in Hertfordshire. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.