Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Aberdeen

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,292 in Aberdeen, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Aberdeen
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,292
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Aberdeen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Aberdeen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $2,292 in Aberdeen, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Aberdeen $2,292

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $3,567 in Aberdeen, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Aberdeen $3,567

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $4,841 in Aberdeen, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Aberdeen $4,841

Phuket is about 44% cheaper than Aberdeen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Aberdeen is 70% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Aberdeen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿148
$20.00 £14.83
-78.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,086
$102 £75.7
-68.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿293
$10.69 £7.93
-18.62%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.6
$4.75 £3.52
-42.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.28
$2.86 £2.12
-67.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.79
$2.20 £1.63
-77.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.1
$7.20 £5.34
-64.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$7.90 £5.86
-54.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Aberdeen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.5
$1.55 £1.15
12.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.77
$1.80 £1.33
-19.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$2.04 £1.51
-26.47%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.0
$4.46 £3.31
-51.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿642
$8.63 £6.40
121.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$12.31 £9.13
-72.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿366
$16.59 £12.30
-34.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.9
$2.90 £2.15
1.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$1.36 £1.01
24.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.8
$2.89 £2.14
-24.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.4
$3.79 £2.81
-44.06%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿49.03
$1.80 £1.33
-18.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.99
$1.45 £1.07
-5.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.17
$1.26 £0.93
-14.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.34
$1.65 £1.22
-66.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$22.68 £16.82
-80.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿614
$11.06 £8.20
65.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.6
$2.68 £1.99
-33.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.8
$3.01 £2.23
-4.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Aberdeen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.66
$4.11 £3.05
-64.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,845
$120 £89.2
-54.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$4.03 £2.99
-62.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.08
$2.42 £1.80
-67.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$24.49 £18.16
-84.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿50.0
$2.17 £1.61
-31.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿903.7K
$38.1K £28.3K
-29.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿885.7K
$40.7K £30.1K
-35.19%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Aberdeen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,288
$402 £298
-75.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿380
$28.26 £20.96
-60.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿578
$42.43 £31.47
-59.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Aberdeen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,297
$48.03 £35.62
42.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿367
$22.14 £16.42
-50.68%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$11.47 £8.50
-35.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Aberdeen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.8K
$1,839 £1,364
-71.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿631.4K
$23.7K £17.6K
-20.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Aberdeen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,073
$97.4 £72.2
-36.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿950
$48.27 £35.80
-41.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,228
$103 £76.4
-6.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,919
$114 £84.7
-23.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Aberdeen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.2K
$852 £632
-15.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.1K
$788 £584
-35.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.6K
$1,649 £1,223
18.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿47.0K
$1,593 £1,181
-12.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿140.9K
$2,635 £1,954
59.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.9K
$3,197 £2,371
3.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Aberdeen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.5K
$4,053 £3,005
-87.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
5.11
9.00%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Aberdeen: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Aberdeen
$788 54.8% $279
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Aberdeen
$325 21.6% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Aberdeen
$472 274% $346
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Aberdeen
$163 33% $41
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Aberdeen
$321 169% $202
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Aberdeen
$71 14.7% $12
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Aberdeen
$153 131% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $852 in Aberdeen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Aberdeen are about 8.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $102 in Aberdeen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $325 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇬🇧 Aberdeen
🕒 Local time
23:15 11:15 PM
16:15 4:15 PM
7 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
229,060
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Aberdeen 9,900 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Aberdeen

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
Phuket vs Aberdeen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Aberdeen?
Aberdeen costs about 77% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Aberdeen?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $3,439 in Aberdeen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Phuket or Aberdeen?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $852 in Aberdeen.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Aberdeen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,292 in Aberdeen. That makes Phuket about 44% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Phuket compared to Aberdeen?
Public transport costs about 54% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Phuket or in Aberdeen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Aberdeen at $2,292. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aberdeen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Phuket or Aberdeen?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,294 versus $2,292 in Aberdeen. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Phuket compared to Aberdeen?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Phuket or to Aberdeen?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Aberdeen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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