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: $2,490 in Hertfordshire versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,804 in Hertfordshire versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,118 in Hertfordshire versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Hertfordshire is roughly 97% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hertfordshire is 86% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.80 £19.96

$4.70 ฿153

470.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.6 £60.0

$45.37 ฿1,482

77.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.93 £8.14

$8.43 ฿275

29.66%

Cappuccino

$4.59 £3.42

$2.93 ฿95.6

56.66%

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

$1.87 £1.40

$0.69 ฿22.40

171.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.19

$0.37 ฿11.99

332.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.30 £3.95

$2.41 ฿78.6

119.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 £4.03

$3.72 ฿122

45.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 £0.79

$2.23 ฿72.9

-52.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.83 ฿59.8

-12.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 £1.56

$2.17 ฿70.8

-3.69%

Eggs

$3.04 £2.27

$2.21 ฿72.3

37.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 £7.55

$19.74 ฿645

-48.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.37 £5.49

$3.63 ฿119

103.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.48 £13.02

$13.53 ฿442

29.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 £1.78

$3.28 ฿107

-27.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 £1.54

$1.61 ฿52.6

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 £2.41

$2.41 ฿78.6

34.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 £1.88

$2.08 ฿68.1

21.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 £0.69

$1.53 ฿49.93

-39.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.30

$1.48 ฿48.36

17.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.94

$0.99 ฿32.29

27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.34

$0.51 ฿16.67

252.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.37 £12.20

$4.41 ฿144

271.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 £8.54

$19.38 ฿633

-40.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 £1.50

$1.78 ฿58.1

12.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 £1.55

$2.71 ฿88.6

-22.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.28 £2.45

$1.37 ฿44.79

139.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 £64.8

$11.39 ฿372

663.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 £3.37

$3.02 ฿98.6

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.25

$0.99 ฿32.48

69.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.90 £17.06

$14.10 ฿461

62.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.40

$1.36 ฿44.51

38.24%

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

$37.8K £28.1K

$28.2K ฿921.1K

33.90%

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

$42.3K £31.5K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

28.60%

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

$165 £123

$122 ฿3,975

35.57%

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

$17.15 £12.78

$13.57 ฿443

26.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.98 £26.81

$18.31 ฿598

96.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.29 £34.49

$60.2 ฿1,967

-23.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

Cinema Ticket

$12.20 £9.09

$8.69 ฿284

40.39%

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

$1,762 £1,313

$693 ฿22.6K

154.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K £13.5K

$15.7K ฿512.3K

15.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 £35.96

$59.5 ฿1,944

-18.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 £39.98

$34.77 ฿1,136

54.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.4 £51.7

$115 ฿3,743

-39.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.1 £67.9

$83.3 ฿2,720

9.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 £1,358

$613 ฿20.0K

197.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 £1,028

$437 ฿14.3K

215.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,928 £2,181

$2,094 ฿68.4K

39.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,349 £1,750

$1,509 ฿49.3K

55.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,281 £2,444

$508 ฿16.6K

545.77%

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: May 30, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,823 in Hertfordshire and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hertfordshire pays 546% 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 $45.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $287 vs $293, 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 97% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Hertfordshire pays 546% more on average, 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: $1,823 in Hertfordshire versus $613 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 $45.00 versus $81.0 in Hertfordshire. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,490 per month in Hertfordshire versus $1,265 in Phuket – a 97% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,490 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 97% less than in Hertfordshire. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.