Cost of Living Comparison Between Newham and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Newham and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $3,261 per month in Newham vs $1,253 in Phuket, rent included.

A couple spends around $4,634 per month in Newham vs $2,043 in Phuket, rent included.

A family of three spends $6,007 per month in Newham vs $2,833 in Phuket, rent included.

Newham costs about 160% more than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Newham sits 137% above the global median, while Phuket is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.00 £15.53

$4.56 ฿150

360.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 £65.2

$32.62 ฿1,073

169.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 £8.20

$8.90 ฿293

24.61%

Cappuccino

$4.92 £3.64

$2.80 ฿92.3

75.71%

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

$2.46 £1.82

$0.88 ฿28.96

179.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 £1.38

$0.49 ฿16.09

279.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.92 £5.12

$2.39 ฿78.6

189.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.25 £4.62

$3.71 ฿122

68.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.79 ฿58.8

-6.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.28

$1.44 ฿47.43

20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 £1.72

$1.58 ฿52.1

46.84%

Eggs

$3.98 £2.95

$2.13 ฿70.0

86.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 £7.00

$19.92 ฿655

-52.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 £6.75

$3.43 ฿113

166.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 £10.88

$11.33 ฿373

29.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 £2.34

$2.95 ฿97.0

7.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 £1.19

$1.72 ฿56.6

-6.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 £2.13

$2.32 ฿76.5

24.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 £2.51

$2.08 ฿68.5

63.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 £1.28

$1.47 ฿48.37

17.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 £1.16

$1.36 ฿44.68

14.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.93

$1.10 ฿36.15

14.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.17

$0.57 ฿18.90

177.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.32 £17.25

$4.27 ฿140

446.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.08 £8.19

$18.42 ฿606

-39.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.25

$1.87 ฿61.6

62.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 £2.52

$2.92 ฿96.1

16.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.52 £2.61

$2.22 ฿73.0

58.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 £69.4

$22.90 ฿753

309.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.25 £3.89

$3.03 ฿99.7

73.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.10 £1.55

$1.07 ฿35.34

96.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.14 £17.86

$3.93 ฿129

514.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.52

$1.49 ฿49.09

37.58%

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

$39.3K £29.1K

$27.1K ฿892.5K

44.78%

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

$42.2K £31.2K

$27.5K ฿903.2K

53.86%

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

$322 £238

$103 ฿3,382

213.32%

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

$17.83 £13.19

$10.99 ฿362

62.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.66 £32.30

$17.51 ฿576

149.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.12 £34.86

$53.5 ฿1,761

-11.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 £10.36

$7.48 ฿246

87.17%

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

$1,637 £1,211

$557 ฿18.3K

193.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.7K

$11.9K ฿390.0K

90.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.7 £67.9

$64.1 ฿2,108

43.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.89 £33.95

$29.07 ฿957

57.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 £73.3

$96.0 ฿3,157

3.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 £74.2

$90.3 ฿2,972

11.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 £938

$730 ฿24.0K

73.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 £1,357

$500 ฿16.4K

267.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,375 £2,497

$2,090 ฿68.8K

61.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,063 £2,266

$1,209 ฿39.8K

153.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,385 £3,984

$3,596 ฿118.3K

49.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,703 £2,739

$2,512 ฿82.7K

47.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

5.57

-8.26%

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

Last update for Newham: August 29, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,268 in Newham versus $730 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Newham versus $33.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $308 vs $273 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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

Newham vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Newham costs about 160% more than Phuket, with the gap driven mainly by Eating Out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,892 per month in Newham and $1,880 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.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Newham, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Newham and $33.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,253, than in Newham at $3,261. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newham it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,253 versus $3,261 in Newham. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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