Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bangor

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,926 in Bangor, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Bangor
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Bangor Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Bangor

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bangor

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 Bangor actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,926 in Bangor.

Phuket $1,294
Bangor $1,926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,051 in Bangor.

Phuket $2,204
Bangor $3,051

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,176 in Bangor.

Phuket $3,115
Bangor $4,176

Living in Phuket costs roughly 33% less than in Bangor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Bangor is 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$23.76 £17.66

-81.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$84.0 £62.4

-61.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$10.08 £7.49

-13.69%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$4.32 £3.21

-37.04%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.01 £1.49

-53.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$1.93 £1.44

-74.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$6.59 £4.90

-61.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$7.51 £5.58

-51.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.85 £1.37

-5.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$2.22 £1.65

-34.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$2.30 £1.71

-34.78%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$4.03 £3.00

-46.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$10.32 £7.67

84.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$10.54 £7.84

-67.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$15.47 £11.50

-29.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$2.65 £1.97

10.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.76 £1.31

-3.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$2.46 £1.83

-10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$3.40 £2.53

-37.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$1.52 £1.13

-3.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$1.78 £1.33

-23.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$1.30 £0.96

-16.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$1.77 £1.32

-68.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$23.47 £17.45

-81.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$10.12 £7.52

80.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$3.12 £2.32

-43.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$3.23 £2.40

-10.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$4.04 £3.00

-64.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$99.6 £74.0

-44.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$4.70 £3.50

-67.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$2.23 £1.66

-65.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$24.98 £18.57

-84.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.97 £1.47

-24.37%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$36.5K £27.1K

-26.38%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$40.5K £30.1K

-34.96%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$319 £237

-69.38%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$24.19 £17.98

-53.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$40.03 £29.75

-57.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$43.68 £32.47

56.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$20.37 £15.14

-46.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$14.18 £10.54

-47.60%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$1,896 £1,409

-72.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$26.5K £19.7K

-29.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$114 £84.6

-45.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$52.5 £39.02

-46.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$105 £77.7

-8.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$121 £90.2

-28.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$604 £449

19.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$503 £374

1.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$1,275 £948

52.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$1,089 £810

28.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$5,872 £4,364

-28.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$4,308 £3,202

-23.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$2,398 £1,782

-79.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.5

1.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bangor: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Bangor

$503 26.1% 1.2% $6

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Bangor

$324 16.8% 21.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Bangor

$384 19.9% 204% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Bangor

$176 9.2% 43.8% $54

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Bangor

$336 17.4% 181% $216

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Bangor

$72 3.7% 13.4% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Bangor

$132 6.8% 99.2% $66

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $604 in Bangor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangor pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $84 in Bangor for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $324 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Bangor

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

23:55 11:55 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

17,988

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bangor 10,130 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bangor

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 Bangor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $604 in Bangor. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $84 in Bangor. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $1,926 in Bangor – Phuket is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,926 in Bangor, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bangor. 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, Phuket and Bangor are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Bangor on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.