Cost of Living Comparison Between Motherwell and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Motherwell and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Motherwell versus $1,247 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,384 in Motherwell versus $2,276 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,517 in Motherwell versus $3,306 in Phuket.

Living in Motherwell is roughly 81% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Motherwell is 67% above, Phuket is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 £14.86

$4.59 ฿147

336.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 £60.5

$46.83 ฿1,501

74.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.15 £7.52

$8.70 ฿279

16.67%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.54

$2.92 ฿93.7

63.70%

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

$2.38 £1.76

$0.68 ฿21.92

250.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 £1.23

$0.40 ฿12.70

317.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 £4.57

$2.51 ฿80.4

145.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.29 £4.66

$3.80 ฿122

65.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.22

$2.16 ฿69.3

-24.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 £1.18

$1.88 ฿60.3

-15.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.71

$2.16 ฿69.2

6.94%

Eggs

$3.97 £2.94

$2.22 ฿71.2

78.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.10 £7.48

$19.57 ฿627

-48.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 £6.49

$3.80 ฿122

130.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.78 £10.21

$13.41 ฿430

2.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 £2.34

$3.26 ฿104

-3.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 £1.18

$1.61 ฿51.7

-1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 £2.08

$2.31 ฿74.0

21.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 £2.61

$2.06 ฿66.0

71.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 £1.21

$1.61 ฿51.5

1.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 £1.11

$1.44 ฿46.26

3.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.79

$1.03 ฿33.01

2.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 £1.12

$0.48 ฿15.39

214.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.97 £14.05

$4.50 ฿144

321.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.81 £8.01

$19.18 ฿615

-43.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 £1.98

$1.82 ฿58.4

47.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 £2.37

$2.69 ฿86.2

18.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.38 £2.51

$1.38 ฿44.16

144.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 £66.6

$11.76 ฿377

664.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.57 £4.13

$3.11 ฿99.6

79.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 £1.12

$1.00 ฿32.18

52.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.55 £17.45

$13.74 ฿441

71.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.30 ฿41.61

43.85%

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

$38.7K £28.7K

$27.4K ฿877.0K

41.52%

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

$41.2K £30.5K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

24.84%

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

$295 £218

$125 ฿4,004

136.09%

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

$17.43 £12.91

$13.74 ฿440

26.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.61 £31.57

$18.61 ฿597

128.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.75 £34.64

$60.6 ฿1,941

-22.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.82 £5.05

$17.15 ฿550

-60.23%

Cinema Ticket

$13.40 £9.93

$9.01 ฿289

48.72%

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

$1,588 £1,177

$698 ฿22.4K

127.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K £13.4K

$16.1K ฿516.5K

12.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.7 £61.3

$59.2 ฿1,898

39.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 £32.22

$34.86 ฿1,118

24.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 £68.8

$114 ฿3,662

-18.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 £72.6

$85.8 ฿2,751

14.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 £897

$619 ฿19.8K

95.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 £736

$437 ฿14.0K

127.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,070 £1,534

$2,075 ฿66.5K

-0.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,668 £1,236

$1,509 ฿48.4K

10.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,606 £2,672

$3,764 ฿120.7K

-4.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 ฿86.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

5.33

5.63%

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

Last update for Motherwell: April 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,210 in Motherwell and $619 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82 in Motherwell vs $47 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $292 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

Motherwell vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,377 in Motherwell and $1,870 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,210 in Motherwell versus $619 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Motherwell. 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 $47.00 versus $82.0 in Motherwell. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,247 in Phuket versus $2,251 in Motherwell, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Motherwell. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Motherwell, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Motherwell 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 81% less than in Motherwell. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.