Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ilford and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,414 in Ilford, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ilford
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Ilford Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ilford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,414

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,414 per month in Ilford vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Ilford $2,414
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $3,764 per month in Ilford vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Ilford $3,764
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $5,115 per month in Ilford vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Ilford $5,115
Phuket $2,867

Ilford costs about 100% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ilford sits 79% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.28 £15.97

$4.58 ฿153

364.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.9 £70.5

$32.48 ฿1,086

189.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 £7.89

$8.55 ฿286

22.92%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.45

$2.72 ฿91.0

69.12%

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

$2.81 £2.11

$0.94 ฿31.25

198.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.38

$0.49 ฿16.39

273.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 £5.93

$2.59 ฿86.6

205.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.43 £4.82

$3.83 ฿128

67.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.74 ฿58.1

-5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.43 ฿47.82

20.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 £1.72

$1.53 ฿51.0

50.33%

Eggs

$4.60 £3.45

$2.17 ฿72.7

111.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 £7.09

$19.15 ฿640

-50.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 £7.21

$3.30 ฿110

191.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.45 £11.59

$11.14 ฿372

38.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 £2.21

$2.95 ฿98.5

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.68 ฿56.1

-16.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.22

$2.30 ฿76.8

28.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 £2.46

$2.13 ฿71.3

53.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.53 ฿51.1

9.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 £1.33

$1.36 ฿45.55

30.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.12 ฿37.44

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$0.55 ฿18.24

221.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.20 £16.65

$4.26 ฿142

421.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 £8.16

$18.19 ฿608

-40.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$1.74 ฿58.2

74.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 £2.94

$2.79 ฿93.3

40.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.57

$2.22 ฿74.1

54.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.6 £73.3

$22.06 ฿737

342.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 £4.05

$2.91 ฿97.3

85.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.61 £1.96

$1.01 ฿33.79

158.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.45 £19.09

$3.83 ฿128

564.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 £1.58

$1.49 ฿49.85

41.61%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

45.96%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

53.23%

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

$334 £250

$99.4 ฿3,321

235.63%

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

$18.31 £13.74

$11.28 ฿377

62.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.86 £30.65

$17.36 ฿580

135.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.93 £33.70

$52.3 ฿1,747

-14.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$17.09 £12.82

$7.57 ฿253

125.76%

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

$2,535 £1,902

$558 ฿18.7K

354.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.1K £26.3K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

205.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.0 £66.0

$62.9 ฿2,102

39.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.25 £34.69

$28.58 ฿955

61.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 £69.8

$96.1 ฿3,213

-3.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 £72.1

$88.1 ฿2,943

9.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 £1,013

$729 ฿24.4K

85.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 £768

$460 ฿15.4K

122.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,960 £2,221

$2,096 ฿70.0K

41.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 £1,575

$1,222 ฿40.8K

71.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,983 £3,739

$3,459 ฿115.6K

44.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,831 £2,874

$2,489 ฿83.2K

53.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,485 £2,615

$493 ฿16.5K

606.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

5.57

-9.52%

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

Last update for Ilford: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ilford

$1K 42.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 55.1% $563

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ilford

$393 16.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 67.4% $265

Eating Out

Ilford

$328 13.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 63% $207

Groceries & Markets

Ilford

$315 13.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 15.1% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Ilford

$146 6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 14.8% $21

Getting Around

Ilford

$130 5.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 70% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Ilford

$79 3.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 14.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,350 in Ilford versus $729 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 run about 607% higher in Ilford, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Ilford versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ilford

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

05:30 5:30 AM

6 h ahead of Ilford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,168

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 19, 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 19, 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

Ilford Phuket 9,890 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ilford
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

Ilford vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilford costs about 100% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,620 per month in Ilford and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Ilford, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94.0 in Ilford and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Ilford at $2,414. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ilford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $2,414 in Ilford. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ilford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.