Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Basildon

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,374 in Basildon, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Basildon
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Basildon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Basildon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Basildon

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,374 in Basildon, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Basildon $2,374

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,407 in Basildon, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Basildon $3,407

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,441 in Basildon, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Basildon $4,441

Phuket is about 46% cheaper than Basildon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Basildon is 74% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.45 £15.27

-78.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$59.5 £44.42

-45.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.14 £6.82

-3.61%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.76 £3.56

-40.55%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$3.21 £2.39

-72.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.57 £1.17

-68.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.78 £5.06

-62.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.92 £2.93

-6.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.32 £0.98

25.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.10 £1.57

-30.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.52 £1.13

-1.32%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.05 £3.02

-48.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.53 £6.37

123.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.63 £3.46

-28.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.84 £8.84

-7.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.14 £2.34

-6.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.30 £0.97

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.99 £1.48

13.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.26 £2.43

-36.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.56 £1.17

-3.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.85 £1.38

-25.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.06 £0.79

0.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.18 £0.88

-55.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$20.22 £15.10

-79.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.71 £7.99

75.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.34 £1.75

-22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.63 £1.21

74.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$2.68 £2.00

-45.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$67.6 £50.5

-16.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.30 £3.96

-43.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.93 £1.44

-23.83%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$38.2K £28.5K

-29.90%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$40.3K £30.1K

-33.80%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$284 £212

-66.06%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.36 £9.97

-15.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$35.04 £26.16

-51.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$44.46 £33.19

51.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$27.04 £20.19

-60.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.08 £10.52

-46.73%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,229 £1,664

-78.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$29.2K £21.8K

-61.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$75.6 £56.5

-17.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$52.4 £39.13

-45.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$54.3 £40.55

73.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$52.8 £39.42

62.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,677 £1,252

-57.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,219 £910

-59.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,358 £1,761

-18.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,012 £1,502

-28.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$5,273 £3,937

-20.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,358 £2,507

-9.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,893 £2,160

-82.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.4

3.15%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Basildon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Basildon

$1.2K 51.4% 148% $728

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Basildon

$252 10.6% 5.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Basildon

$332 14% 167% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Basildon

$106 4.5% 13.2% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Basildon

$309 13% 154% $187

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Basildon

$73 3.1% 11.7% $9.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Basildon

$84 * 3.5% 18.5% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,677 in Basildon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Basildon are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $59 in Basildon. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $252 in Basildon – so Basildon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Basildon

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

23:08 11:08 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

184,479

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Basildon 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Basildon

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 Basildon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basildon costs about 86% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,561 in Basildon. 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 $716 there versus $1,677 in Basildon.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,374 in Basildon. That makes Phuket about 46% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Basildon at $2,374. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Basildon 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.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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