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: $2,206 in Livingston versus $1,261 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,384 in Livingston versus $2,286 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,562 in Livingston versus $3,310 in Phuket.

Living in Livingston is roughly 75% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Livingston is 64% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 £15.14

$4.56 ฿149

346.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.0 £70.6

$46.63 ฿1,519

103.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 £7.37

$8.47 ฿276

17.00%

Cappuccino

$4.86 £3.61

$3.03 ฿98.6

60.40%

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

$2.74 £2.04

$0.69 ฿22.45

297.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.63

$0.37 ฿11.92

491.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 £5.19

$2.49 ฿81.0

180.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.02

$3.66 ฿119

84.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.27

$2.18 ฿71.0

-21.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.90 ฿62.0

-8.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 £1.59

$2.20 ฿71.6

-2.73%

Eggs

$3.60 £2.68

$2.22 ฿72.4

62.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 £8.03

$19.99 ฿651

-45.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 £6.78

$3.66 ฿119

149.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.44 £12.22

$13.25 ฿432

24.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 £2.33

$3.23 ฿105

-2.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.70 ฿55.3

-3.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 £1.93

$2.39 ฿78.0

8.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 £2.77

$2.08 ฿67.7

79.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 £1.31

$1.59 ฿51.8

10.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 £1.07

$1.48 ฿48.31

-2.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.85

$1.03 ฿33.54

10.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.28

$0.52 ฿16.83

232.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.00 £14.13

$4.25 ฿138

347.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.76 £8.00

$18.79 ฿612

-42.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 £1.92

$1.76 ฿57.2

47.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 £2.50

$2.76 ฿89.8

21.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.24 £2.41

$1.36 ฿44.32

138.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.6 £56.9

$11.36 ฿370

574.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 £3.95

$3.14 ฿102

69.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 £0.94

$1.04 ฿33.74

22.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.37 £16.63

$13.77 ฿448

62.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.34 ฿43.79

48.51%

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

$39.0K £29.0K

$27.7K ฿901.4K

40.79%

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

$39.9K £29.6K

$33.9K ฿1.1M

17.73%

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

$385 £286

$124 ฿4,025

211.65%

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

$17.70 £13.16

$13.52 ฿440

30.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.03 £33.48

$18.69 ฿609

140.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 £44.93

$61.8 ฿2,013

-2.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.88 £25.19

$17.25 ฿562

96.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 £8.05

$9.14 ฿298

18.38%

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

$1,254 £933

$703 ฿22.9K

78.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K £13.6K

$15.9K ฿517.0K

15.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 £79.9

$59.5 ฿1,937

80.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 £40.73

$35.07 ฿1,142

56.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 £85.5

$115 ฿3,754

-0.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 £61.6

$84.1 ฿2,737

-1.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$879 £653

$619 ฿20.1K

42.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$784 £583

$433 ฿14.1K

81.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,960 £1,457

$2,062 ฿67.2K

-4.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 £1,157

$1,511 ฿49.2K

3.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,646 ฿118.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,626 ฿85.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,491 £2,596

$507 ฿16.5K

588.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.7

5.33

6.94%

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

Last update for Livingston: June 7, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $879 in Livingston and $619 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Livingston pays 589% 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: $95.0 in Livingston vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $293 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 75% 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.

Livingston pays 589% 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: $879 in Livingston versus $619 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,254 in Livingston versus $703 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Livingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,261 in Phuket versus $2,206 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 $1,261 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 75% less than in Livingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.