Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chatham

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,947 in Chatham, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Chatham
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Chatham Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Chatham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,947

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chatham

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $2,947 in Chatham, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Chatham $2,947

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $4,017 in Chatham, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Chatham $4,017

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $5,088 in Chatham, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Chatham $5,088

Phuket is about 59% cheaper than Chatham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Chatham is 118% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$13.40 £10.05

-67.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$94.9 £71.2

-66.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$9.85 £7.39

-11.07%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.75 £2.82

-24.53%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.95 £2.21

-69.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.68 £1.26

-72.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$6.38 £4.78

-60.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.83 £5.12

-43.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.90 £1.43

-8.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.10 £1.57

-30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.10 £1.58

-28.10%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.09 £3.07

-46.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.74 £8.06

83.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.29 £6.97

-64.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$15.54 £11.66

-28.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.10 £2.33

-8.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.92 £1.44

-11.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.71 £2.03

-19.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.67 £2.75

-44.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.01 £1.51

-27.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.82 £1.37

-24.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.15 £0.86

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.71 £1.28

-70.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$21.64 £16.24

-80.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.94 £8.21

69.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$3.06 £2.29

-41.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.37 £1.78

20.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$4.04 £3.03

-44.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$114 £85.6

-80.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$5.10 £3.83

-40.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$2.58 £1.94

-58.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$20.18 £15.14

-80.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.09 £1.56

-30.62%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$38.9K £29.2K

-32.32%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$37.1K £27.8K

-27.35%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$287 £215

-66.42%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$16.80 £12.61

-34.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$26.54 £19.91

-35.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$114 £85.8

-54.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.37 £7.03

19.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$17.40 £13.05

-55.11%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$2,080 £1,561

-73.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$30.4K £22.8K

-61.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$91.6 £68.7

-29.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$45.69 £34.28

-37.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$105 £78.4

-8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$91.5 £68.6

-3.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$2,050 £1,538

-64.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,601 £1,201

-71.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$2,430 £1,823

-13.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$2,090 £1,568

-42.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$7,877 £5,909

-55.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$7,449 £5,588

-66.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$2,972 £2,230

-83.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.12

8.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chatham: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Chatham

$1.6K 54.3% 246% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Chatham

$323 11% 20.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Chatham

$330 11.2% 165% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Chatham

$150 5.1% 20.6% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Chatham

$246 8.3% 103% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Chatham

$149 5.1% 120% $81

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Chatham

$148 5% 276% $109

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $2,050 in Chatham. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 494% higher in Chatham, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $95.0 in Chatham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $323 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Chatham

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

01:25 1:25 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

76,792

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Chatham 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chatham

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 Chatham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chatham costs about 144% 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 $1,813 per month in Phuket and $4,421 in Chatham. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $2,947 in Chatham. That's a gap of about 144%.

Public transport costs about 416% 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 $1,208, than in Chatham at $2,947. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chatham it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $2,947 in Chatham. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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