Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bristol

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,883 in Bristol, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
140

Cost of Living Index in Bristol
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Bristol Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bristol

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bristol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,883 in Bristol.

Phuket $1,278
Bristol $2,883

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,161 in Bristol.

Phuket $2,216
Bristol $4,161

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,440 in Bristol.

Phuket $3,154
Bristol $5,440

Living in Phuket costs roughly 56% less than in Bristol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Bristol is 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$23.78 £17.88

-81.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$114 £85.6

-71.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.82 £8.13

-18.58%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.14 £3.87

-44.94%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.69 £2.02

-67.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.84 £1.39

-73.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$7.83 £5.88

-67.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.74 £5.07

-45.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.52 £1.14

9.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.71 £1.29

-14.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.10 £1.58

-28.57%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.25 £3.20

-50.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.15 £6.13

133.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.82 £7.38

-66.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.88 £9.68

-15.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.22 £2.42

-9.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.76 £1.32

-3.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.70 £2.03

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.13 £3.10

-49.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.07 £1.56

-27.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.45 £1.09

-4.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.23 £0.92

-13.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$2.02 £1.51

-74.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$23.31 £17.52

-81.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.57 £7.95

77.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.89 £2.17

-37.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.65 £2.74

-22.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$3.40 £2.56

-57.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$125 £93.7

-54.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.50 £2.63

-13.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.62 £1.22

-37.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$26.41 £19.85

-86.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.17 £1.63

-32.26%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$38.0K £28.5K

-29.46%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$40.0K £30.1K

-33.28%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$326 £245

-70.48%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.56 £13.20

-35.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$38.06 £28.61

-55.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$41.92 £31.50

60.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$11.75 £8.83

-8.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.58 £11.71

-51.86%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,366 £1,778

-79.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$25.2K £19.0K

-55.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$100 £75.3

-37.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$47.78 £35.91

-40.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$108 £80.9

-12.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$96.6 £72.6

-11.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,963 £1,475

-63.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,455 £1,094

-66.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$3,048 £2,291

-36.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,225 £1,672

-35.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$7,040 £5,291

-40.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$5,142 £3,865

-40.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,801 £2,856

-86.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.87

14.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bristol: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bristol

$1.5K 50.5% 196% $964

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bristol

$309 10.7% 16.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bristol

$382 13.3% 207% $258

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bristol

$158 5.5% 30% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bristol

$355 12.3% 192% $234

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bristol

$73 2.5% 11.1% $9.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bristol

$150 5.2% 112% $79

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,963 in Bristol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bristol pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $114 in Bristol for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $309 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Bristol

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

18:47 6:47 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

463,400

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.837 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bristol 10,070 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bristol

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 Bristol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Bristol differ by about 126% in total monthly costs ($1,278 vs $2,883 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 87% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $1,963 in Bristol. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Bristol. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $114 in Bristol. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,883 in Bristol, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bristol. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bristol, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Bristol are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Bristol. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.