Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merthyr Tydfil and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,071 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
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Merthyr Tydfil Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,071

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,071 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,071
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,871 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $2,871
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $3,671 per month in Merthyr Tydfil vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Merthyr Tydfil $3,671
Phuket $2,845

Merthyr Tydfil costs about 71% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Merthyr Tydfil sits 53% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.21 £18.16

$4.40 ฿147

450.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 £46.76

$32.26 ฿1,078

93.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 £8.14

$8.76 ฿293

23.86%

Cappuccino

$4.45 £3.34

$2.83 ฿94.5

57.24%

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

$2.51 £1.88

$0.90 ฿30.14

178.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 £1.23

$0.47 ฿15.56

248.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 £4.62

$2.55 ฿85.2

141.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 £4.36

$3.83 ฿128

51.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.73 ฿57.7

-16.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 £0.46

$1.47 ฿49.11

-58.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.51 ฿50.6

12.58%

Eggs

$4.10 £3.08

$2.17 ฿72.7

88.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 £6.39

$19.70 ฿658

-56.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 £6.50

$3.34 ฿112

159.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.08 £9.82

$11.16 ฿373

17.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 £1.97

$2.85 ฿95.1

-8.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 £1.35

$1.70 ฿56.9

6.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 £1.95

$2.19 ฿73.3

18.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 £2.41

$2.05 ฿68.4

57.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.45 ฿48.57

-18.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 £1.00

$1.38 ฿46.16

-2.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.88

$1.07 ฿35.69

9.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 £0.82

$0.51 ฿16.91

113.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.15 £17.37

$4.26 ฿142

443.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 £8.04

$18.58 ฿621

-42.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 £2.09

$1.78 ฿59.7

56.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 £2.73

$2.85 ฿95.2

27.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.9 £72.7

$22.10 ฿738

338.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 £2.57

$3.01 ฿101

13.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.06 ฿35.34

60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.34 £19.76

$3.86 ฿129

582.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 £1.62

$1.45 ฿48.45

48.97%

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

$38.2K £28.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

45.18%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

49.82%

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

$320 £240

$96.4 ฿3,221

232.15%

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

$13.18 £9.89

$11.04 ฿369

19.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.40 £28.06

$17.14 ฿573

118.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.24 £29.44

$52.2 ฿1,744

-24.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 £6.02

$7.81 ฿261

2.69%

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

$2,211 £1,659

$556 ฿18.6K

297.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K £19.1K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

120.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 £76.2

$64.2 ฿2,146

58.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.44 £36.34

$28.69 ฿959

68.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £80.0

$95.4 ฿3,187

11.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 £73.4

$88.0 ฿2,940

11.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 £605

$737 ฿24.6K

9.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 £577

$462 ฿15.5K

66.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 £878

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-44.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$979 £734

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-18.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,572 £1,180

$501 ฿16.7K

214.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

5.57

-12.57%

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

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merthyr Tydfil

$770 37.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 39.9% $307

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merthyr Tydfil

$371 17.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 66.4% $246

Eating Out

Merthyr Tydfil

$339 16.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 64.2% $217

Groceries & Markets

Merthyr Tydfil

$269 13%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Merthyr Tydfil

$160 7.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 22.1% $35

Getting Around

Merthyr Tydfil

$109 * 5.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 63.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Merthyr Tydfil

$55 2.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 22.6% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $807 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $737 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 214% higher in Merthyr Tydfil, 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 $62.0 in Merthyr Tydfil versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Merthyr Tydfil vs $269 in Phuket – so Merthyr Tydfil wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

19:31 7:31 PM

6 h ahead of Merthyr Tydfil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,820

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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Merthyr Tydfil Phuket 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Merthyr Tydfil
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

Merthyr Tydfil vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,071 in Merthyr Tydfil, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,107 per month in Merthyr Tydfil and $1,813 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.

Public transport costs about 338% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,211 per month in Merthyr Tydfil and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Merthyr Tydfil at $2,071. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merthyr Tydfil it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $2,071 in Merthyr Tydfil. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Merthyr Tydfil makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.