Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Livingston and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,983 in Livingston versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,153 in Livingston versus $2,089 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,323 in Livingston versus $2,913 in Phuket.

Living in Livingston is roughly 57% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Livingston is 44% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 £14.89

$4.66 ฿154

332.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 £74.0

$32.22 ฿1,065

210.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.84

$8.68 ฿287

22.24%

Cappuccino

$5.09 £3.76

$2.90 ฿95.8

75.52%

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

$2.65 £1.96

$0.84 ฿27.89

215.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 £1.73

$0.49 ฿16.16

377.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 £4.88

$2.48 ฿82.0

166.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 £5.10

$3.73 ฿123

84.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 £1.09

$1.89 ฿62.3

-21.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 £1.43

$1.41 ฿46.54

37.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 £1.63

$1.62 ฿53.6

35.80%

Eggs

$3.75 £2.77

$2.24 ฿74.1

67.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 £6.76

$19.84 ฿656

-53.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 £7.13

$3.48 ฿115

177.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.94 £11.04

$11.37 ฿376

31.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.30

$2.90 ฿95.8

7.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 £1.28

$1.72 ฿57.0

0.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 £2.11

$2.27 ฿75.1

25.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.72

$2.13 ฿70.4

72.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 £1.19

$1.47 ฿48.72

9.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 £1.08

$1.42 ฿46.92

2.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.87

$1.10 ฿36.25

6.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 £1.16

$0.60 ฿19.76

161.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.72 £16.79

$4.31 ฿142

427.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.76 £7.95

$18.60 ฿615

-42.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 £2.19

$1.80 ฿59.5

64.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 £2.47

$2.97 ฿98.0

12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.12

$3.10 ฿102

80.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 £1.17

$1.08 ฿35.56

46.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.17 £20.82

$3.87 ฿128

627.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.57

$1.43 ฿47.16

48.95%

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

$38.5K £28.5K

$27.8K ฿918.0K

38.57%

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

$40.7K £30.1K

$27.0K ฿891.5K

51.00%

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

$346 £256

$105 ฿3,462

230.50%

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

$16.40 £12.12

$11.39 ฿376

43.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.47 £31.39

$17.54 ฿580

142.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

Cinema Ticket

$10.92 £8.07

$7.78 ฿257

40.36%

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

$1,236 £913

$576 ฿19.0K

114.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K £13.3K

$11.6K ฿382.7K

54.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 £69.9

$63.6 ฿2,103

48.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.38 £36.49

$29.10 ฿961

69.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £80.8

$96.2 ฿3,179

13.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 £71.2

$90.0 ฿2,974

7.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 £657

$733 ฿24.2K

21.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$779 £576

$501 ฿16.5K

55.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 £1,453

$2,126 ฿70.2K

-7.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 £1,165

$1,252 ฿41.4K

25.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,001 £2,957

$508 ฿16.8K

688.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

5.57

-7.54%

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

Last update for Livingston: September 6, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $889 in Livingston and $733 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 688% 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: $100 in Livingston vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $309 vs $275 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

Livingston vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Livingston. 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 688% higher in Livingston, 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: $889 in Livingston versus $733 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Livingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,983 per month in Livingston versus $1,265 in Phuket – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,983 in Livingston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Livingston. 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 $1,265 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Livingston 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 57% less than in Livingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.