Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newquay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,475 in Newquay, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Newquay
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Newquay Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Newquay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,475

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,475 per month in Newquay vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Newquay $2,475
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $3,640 per month in Newquay vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Newquay $3,640
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $4,804 per month in Newquay vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Newquay $4,804
Phuket $3,115

Newquay costs about 91% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Newquay sits 83% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.95 £14.80

$4.39 ฿148

354.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 £60.5

$32.31 ฿1,086

152.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 £7.34

$8.70 ฿293

13.79%

Cappuccino

$5.14 £3.81

$2.72 ฿91.6

88.97%

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

$2.35 £1.74

$0.93 ฿31.28

152.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 £1.18

$0.50 ฿16.79

218.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 £4.58

$2.53 ฿85.1

143.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.01

$3.63 ฿122

86.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.74 ฿58.5

-1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 £1.18

$1.45 ฿48.77

9.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 £1.73

$1.50 ฿50.5

56.00%

Eggs

$4.31 £3.20

$2.17 ฿73.0

98.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.55 £4.86

$19.09 ฿642

-65.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.96 £8.87

$3.40 ฿114

251.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 £9.50

$10.90 ฿366

17.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 £1.66

$2.94 ฿98.9

-23.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 £1.32

$1.69 ฿56.9

5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 £1.38

$2.19 ฿73.8

-14.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 £1.69

$2.12 ฿71.4

7.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 £1.63

$1.46 ฿49.03

50.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 £0.98

$1.37 ฿45.99

-3.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 £1.47

$1.08 ฿36.17

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 £1.41

$0.55 ฿18.34

245.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.12 £17.89

$4.43 ฿149

444.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.54 £7.08

$18.25 ฿614

-47.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 £2.10

$1.77 ฿59.6

59.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.63

$2.88 ฿96.8

-23.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 £3.88

$1.51 ฿50.9

246.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 £1.78

$0.78 ฿26.08

207.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.89 £19.20

$3.84 ฿129

574.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.49 ฿50.0

28.19%

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

$38.4K £28.5K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

42.72%

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

$41.3K £30.6K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

56.83%

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

$357 £264

$97.8 ฿3,288

264.51%

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

$16.31 £12.10

$11.29 ฿380

44.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.34 £32.88

$17.19 ฿578

157.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 £40.52

$68.3 ฿2,297

-20.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$20.76 £15.39

$7.43 ฿250

179.41%

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

$2,179 £1,616

$530 ฿17.8K

310.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K £16.7K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

19.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 £67.2

$61.7 ฿2,073

46.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 £37.19

$28.25 ฿950

77.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$159 £118

$96.0 ฿3,228

65.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 £105

$86.8 ฿2,919

63.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 £1,010

$721 ฿24.2K

88.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 £844

$509 ฿17.1K

123.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,443 £1,812

$1,950 ฿65.6K

25.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,986 £1,473

$1,397 ฿47.0K

42.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,190 £1,624

$492 ฿16.5K

345.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

5.57

-10.95%

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

Last update for Newquay: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newquay

$1.1K 46%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 55.3% $629

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newquay

$417 16.9%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 69.7% $291

Eating Out

Newquay

$311 12.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 61.6% $192

Groceries & Markets

Newquay

$296 12%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 9.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Newquay

$199 8%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 38.3% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Newquay

$96 3.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 13.5% $13

Getting Around

Newquay

$17 * 0.7%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 283% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,362 in Newquay versus $721 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 in Newquay are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Newquay versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $296 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Newquay

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

7 h ahead of Newquay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,189

79,308

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.831 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Newquay Phuket 10,270 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Newquay
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

Newquay vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,475 in Newquay, $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,712 per month in Newquay and $1,940 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $1,362 in Newquay.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,475 in Newquay and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 48% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,179 per month in Newquay and $530 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 $1,294, than in Newquay at $2,475. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newquay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Newquay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.