Cost of Living Comparison Between Inverness and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Inverness and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,460 in Inverness versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,392 in Inverness versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,324 in Inverness versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Inverness is roughly 96% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Inverness is 79% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.01 £16.29

$4.56 ฿150

382.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 £49.75

$32.62 ฿1,073

106.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 £7.38

$8.90 ฿293

12.13%

Cappuccino

$3.99 £2.95

$2.80 ฿92.3

42.50%

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

$2.27 £1.68

$0.88 ฿28.96

157.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 £1.29

$0.49 ฿16.09

257.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 £4.27

$2.39 ฿78.6

141.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 £5.15

$3.71 ฿122

87.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.79 ฿58.8

-8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 £1.03

$1.44 ฿47.43

-3.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 £1.54

$1.58 ฿52.1

31.65%

Eggs

$3.83 £2.83

$2.13 ฿70.0

79.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.80 £7.25

$19.92 ฿655

-50.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 £6.67

$3.43 ฿113

162.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 £12.10

$11.33 ฿373

44.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 £1.89

$2.95 ฿97.0

-13.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 £1.23

$1.72 ฿56.6

-2.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 £1.59

$2.32 ฿76.5

-7.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 £1.00

$2.08 ฿68.5

-35.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 £1.33

$1.47 ฿48.37

22.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 £0.78

$1.36 ฿44.68

-22.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.86

$1.10 ฿36.15

5.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.18

$0.57 ฿18.90

180.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.75 £16.09

$4.27 ฿140

409.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.25 £8.32

$18.42 ฿606

-38.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 £2.47

$1.87 ฿61.6

78.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.24

$2.92 ฿96.1

3.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 £2.62

$2.22 ฿73.0

59.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.5 £46.22

$22.90 ฿753

172.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.32 £3.93

$3.03 ฿99.7

75.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 £0.86

$1.07 ฿35.34

8.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.71 £18.28

$3.93 ฿129

528.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 £1.51

$1.49 ฿49.09

36.91%

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

$38.8K £28.7K

$27.1K ฿892.5K

43.14%

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

$41.5K £30.7K

$27.5K ฿903.2K

51.16%

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

$339 £251

$103 ฿3,382

229.73%

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

$19.76 £14.62

$10.99 ฿362

79.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.30 £30.56

$17.51 ฿576

135.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.99 £31.81

$53.5 ฿1,761

-19.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.15 £6.03

$11.20 ฿368

-27.23%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 £10.88

$7.48 ฿246

96.52%

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

$930 £688

$557 ฿18.3K

67.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K £16.6K

$11.9K ฿390.0K

88.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 £67.5

$64.1 ฿2,108

42.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 £33.83

$29.07 ฿957

57.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 £70.8

$96.0 ฿3,157

-0.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.9 £68.7

$90.3 ฿2,972

2.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 £972

$730 ฿24.0K

79.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 £836

$500 ฿16.4K

125.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 £1,675

$2,090 ฿68.8K

8.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 £1,170

$1,209 ฿39.8K

30.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,253 £3,146

$3,596 ฿118.3K

18.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,401 £2,516

$2,512 ฿82.7K

35.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,290 £2,434

$503 ฿16.6K

553.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.75

5.57

-14.72%

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

Last update for Inverness: August 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,313 in Inverness and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Inverness pays 554% 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: $67.0 in Inverness vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $273 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Inverness vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Inverness. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 554% higher in Inverness, 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: $1,313 in Inverness versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 173% less than in Inverness. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $930 in Inverness versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,460 in Inverness, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Inverness. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,253 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Inverness 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 96% less than in Inverness. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.