Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middlesbrough and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,089 in Middlesbrough, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Middlesbrough
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Middlesbrough Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Middlesbrough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,089

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,089 in Middlesbrough versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Middlesbrough $2,089
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,001 in Middlesbrough versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Middlesbrough $3,001
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,913 in Middlesbrough versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Middlesbrough $3,913
Phuket $2,867

Living in Middlesbrough is roughly 73% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Middlesbrough is 55% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.80 £17.85

$4.58 ฿153

419.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 £54.4

$32.48 ฿1,086

123.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 £8.05

$8.55 ฿286

25.50%

Cappuccino

$4.69 £3.52

$2.72 ฿91.0

72.43%

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

$2.41 £1.81

$0.94 ฿31.25

156.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.49 ฿16.39

265.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 £3.53

$2.59 ฿86.6

81.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 £5.38

$3.83 ฿128

87.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.74 ฿58.1

-29.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.43 ฿47.82

-1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.53 ฿51.0

60.13%

Eggs

$3.70 £2.77

$2.17 ฿72.7

70.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 £5.76

$19.15 ฿640

-59.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.29 £5.47

$3.30 ฿110

120.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 £10.81

$11.14 ฿372

29.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 £1.86

$2.95 ฿98.5

-15.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 £1.79

$1.68 ฿56.1

41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 £1.93

$2.30 ฿76.8

11.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 £1.95

$2.13 ฿71.3

22.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 £1.34

$1.53 ฿51.1

16.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.36 ฿45.55

13.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.12 ฿37.44

3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.27

$0.55 ฿18.24

450.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.39 £16.79

$4.26 ฿142

425.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.42 £7.07

$18.19 ฿608

-48.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.43 £3.32

$1.74 ฿58.2

154.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 £2.76

$2.79 ฿93.3

31.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.53 £4.15

$2.22 ฿74.1

149.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.6 £69.5

$22.06 ฿737

319.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 £3.29

$2.91 ฿97.3

50.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.94 £19.46

$3.83 ฿128

577.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.49 ฿49.85

33.56%

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

$37.6K £28.2K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

41.09%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

49.17%

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

$346 £260

$99.4 ฿3,321

248.51%

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

$16.93 £12.70

$11.28 ฿377

50.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.87 £31.41

$17.36 ฿580

141.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.69 £37.28

$52.3 ฿1,747

-4.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.46 £24.35

$10.85 ฿362

199.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.43 £10.83

$7.57 ฿253

90.62%

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

$795 £596

$558 ฿18.7K

42.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.4K £30.3K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

251.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £79.8

$62.9 ฿2,102

69.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 £40.36

$28.58 ฿955

88.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 £82.7

$96.1 ฿3,213

14.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £78.2

$88.1 ฿2,943

18.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 £748

$729 ฿24.4K

36.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 £513

$460 ฿15.4K

48.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 £721

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-54.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 £716

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-21.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,303 £1,728

$493 ฿16.5K

367.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.64

5.57

1.26%

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

Last update for Middlesbrough: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Middlesbrough

$683 32.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 32.7% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middlesbrough

$405 19.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 68.4% $277

Eating Out

Middlesbrough

$334 16%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 63.6% $212

Groceries & Markets

Middlesbrough

$301 14.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 11.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Middlesbrough

$169 8.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 26.4% $45

Getting Around

Middlesbrough

$119 * 5.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 67.3% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Middlesbrough

$79 3.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 14.2% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $997 in Middlesbrough and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middlesbrough pays 367% 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: $72.0 in Middlesbrough vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Middlesbrough

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

12:27 12:27 PM

6 h ahead of Middlesbrough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,000

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

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Between locations

Middlesbrough Phuket 9,910 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Middlesbrough
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

Middlesbrough vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Middlesbrough and Phuket differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($2,089 vs $1,207 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 367% higher in Middlesbrough, 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: $997 in Middlesbrough versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Middlesbrough. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $72.0 in Middlesbrough. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,089 in Middlesbrough, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Middlesbrough. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Middlesbrough 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 73% less than in Middlesbrough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.