Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dorchester

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,240 in Dorchester, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Dorchester
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Dorchester Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Dorchester

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dorchester

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,240 in Dorchester.

Phuket $1,208
Dorchester $2,240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $3,370 in Dorchester.

Phuket $2,027
Dorchester $3,370

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $4,500 in Dorchester.

Phuket $2,845
Dorchester $4,500

Living in Phuket costs roughly 46% less than in Dorchester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Dorchester is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$16.10 £12.08

-72.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$79.0 £59.3

-59.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.20 £3.90

68.46%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.67 £3.51

-39.40%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.58 £1.93

-65.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.85 £1.39

-74.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$7.80 £5.85

-67.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.55 £4.91

-41.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.51 £1.13

14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.30 £0.97

13.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.07 £1.56

-27.05%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.39 £3.30

-50.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$8.11 £6.08

142.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$8.77 £6.58

-61.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.56 £8.67

-3.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.99 £2.25

-4.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.73 £1.30

-1.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.71 £2.04

-19.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.05 £3.04

-49.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.05 £1.53

-29.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.46 £1.09

-5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.76 £0.57

40.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$2.09 £1.57

-75.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$22.94 £17.21

-81.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.68 £8.01

73.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.80 £2.10

-36.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.48 £2.61

-18.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$3.87 £2.90

-41.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$83.0 £62.3

-73.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.51 £2.63

-14.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.61 £1.21

-34.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$26.25 £19.69

-85.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.13 £1.60

-31.92%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$39.2K £29.4K

-32.77%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$40.4K £30.3K

-33.33%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$229 £172

-57.97%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$17.12 £12.84

-35.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$39.14 £29.36

-56.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$46.50 £34.89

12.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$13.73 £10.30

-43.12%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$2,244 £1,683

-75.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$25.4K £19.0K

-54.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$60.1 £45.12

6.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$48.42 £36.33

-40.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$109 £81.8

-12.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$96.4 £72.4

-8.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,171 £879

-37.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,066 £800

-56.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$2,330 £1,748

-10.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,900 £1,426

-36.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,565 £3,425

-23.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$3,984 £2,989

-36.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,803 £1,353

-72.23%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Dorchester: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Dorchester

$1.1K 47.6% 131% $604

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Dorchester

$293 13.1% 9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Dorchester

$286 12.8% 129% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Dorchester

$141 6.3% 13.7% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Dorchester

$270 12.1% 123% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Dorchester

$74 3.3% 9.1% $6.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Dorchester

$110 4.9% 179% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $1,171 in Dorchester. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dorchester pays 260% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $79.0 in Dorchester for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $293 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Dorchester

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

01:26 1:26 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

19,500

💱 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 Dorchester 10,080 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dorchester

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 Dorchester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in Dorchester. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 260% lower in Dorchester. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $1,171 in Dorchester. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Dorchester. 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 $32.00 versus $79.0 in Dorchester. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,240 in Dorchester, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Dorchester. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Dorchester 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 85% less than in Dorchester. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.