Cost of Living Comparison Between Middlesbrough and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Middlesbrough and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,961 in Middlesbrough versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,844 in Middlesbrough versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,727 in Middlesbrough versus $3,317 in Phuket.

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Middlesbrough is 47% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.73 £15.43

$4.55 ฿153

355.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 £56.2

$46.18 ฿1,553

63.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 £7.50

$8.84 ฿297

14.03%

Cappuccino

$4.47 £3.32

$3.06 ฿103

46.08%

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

$1.95 £1.45

$0.73 ฿24.40

167.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 £1.01

$0.40 ฿13.39

240.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.35 £3.98

$2.43 ฿81.8

120.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 £4.13

$3.78 ฿127

46.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 £1.19

$2.26 ฿76.0

-29.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.81 ฿60.9

-4.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 £1.95

$2.25 ฿75.8

16.44%

Eggs

$3.98 £2.96

$2.25 ฿75.5

76.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.92 £5.15

$19.51 ฿656

-64.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.51 £5.59

$3.65 ฿123

105.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.70 £7.23

$13.05 ฿439

-25.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 £1.93

$3.23 ฿109

-19.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 £1.71

$1.62 ฿54.4

41.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 £1.65

$2.38 ฿80.1

-7.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 £2.01

$2.03 ฿68.1

33.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.35

$1.53 ฿51.6

18.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 £0.97

$1.50 ฿50.5

-12.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 £1.02

$0.98 ฿32.91

39.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$0.52 ฿17.39

259.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.99 £13.40

$4.44 ฿149

305.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.44 £10.01

$18.32 ฿616

-26.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.73 £2.78

$1.86 ฿62.7

100.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 £3.96

$2.68 ฿90.1

98.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.00 £2.98

$1.41 ฿47.46

183.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.0 £70.7

$11.70 ฿393

711.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.06 £4.51

$3.11 ฿105

94.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 £0.89

$1.04 ฿35.06

15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.25 £12.10

$14.11 ฿474

15.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.45

$1.31 ฿44.10

48.85%

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

$30.3K £22.6K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

9.07%

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

$38.3K £28.5K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

15.17%

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

$288 £214

$122 ฿4,118

135.00%

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

$17.19 £12.80

$13.59 ฿457

26.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.61 £31.72

$18.70 ฿629

127.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 £40.79

$60.5 ฿2,034

-9.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.42 £15.94

$16.98 ฿571

26.15%

Cinema Ticket

$13.08 £9.74

$9.07 ฿305

44.21%

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

$942 £701

$706 ฿23.8K

33.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K £15.2K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

29.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.5 £59.2

$58.6 ฿1,969

35.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.79 £31.86

$35.36 ฿1,189

21.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 £64.8

$115 ฿3,883

-24.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.6 £53.3

$83.7 ฿2,816

-14.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$904 £673

$626 ฿21.0K

44.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 £530

$445 ฿15.0K

59.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 £761

$2,040 ฿68.6K

-49.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 £725

$1,492 ฿50.2K

-34.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,667 £1,986

$3,483 ฿117.1K

-23.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,227 £1,658

$2,577 ฿86.7K

-13.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,225 £1,656

$500 ฿16.8K

345.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.6

5.33

5.07%

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

Last update for Middlesbrough: July 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $904 in Middlesbrough and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Middlesbrough pays 345% 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: $75.0 in Middlesbrough vs $46.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $289, with Middlesbrough cheaper for home cooking.

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 57% in total monthly costs ($1,961 vs $1,250 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 345% 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: $904 in Middlesbrough versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Middlesbrough pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $75.0 in Middlesbrough. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,961 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 57% less than in Middlesbrough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.