Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Elgin

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,803 in Elgin, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Elgin
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Elgin Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Elgin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Elgin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,803 in Elgin.

Phuket $1,208
Elgin $1,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,850 in Elgin.

Phuket $2,027
Elgin $2,850

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $3,896 in Elgin.

Phuket $2,845
Elgin $3,896

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Elgin is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$21.57 £16.19

-79.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$71.8 £53.9

-55.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$10.25 £7.69

-14.54%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.55 £3.41

-37.80%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.97 £1.48

-54.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.29 £0.97

-63.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$4.42 £3.32

-42.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.01 £4.51

-36.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.67 £1.25

3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.64 £1.23

-10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.07 £1.55

-27.05%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.84 £2.88

-43.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.22 £6.91

113.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.29 £6.97

-64.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$17.24 £12.94

-35.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.27 £2.45

-12.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.57 £1.18

8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.99 £2.25

-26.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.31 £2.48

-38.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.91 £1.43

-24.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.60 £1.20

-13.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.20 £0.90

-10.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.63 £1.22

-68.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$23.90 £17.93

-82.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$11.15 £8.37

66.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$3.35 £2.51

-46.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.34 £2.51

-14.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$3.56 £2.67

-36.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$122 £91.3

-81.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$5.69 £4.27

-47.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.18 £0.89

-10.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$26.07 £19.56

-85.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.18 £1.63

-33.49%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$38.1K £28.6K

-30.85%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$40.8K £30.6K

-33.89%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$200 £150

-51.81%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$20.02 £15.02

-44.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$40.17 £30.14

-57.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$37.00 £27.76

41.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$5.47 £4.10

104.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.09 £8.32

-29.58%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$937 £703

-40.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$22.0K £16.5K

-47.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$36.15 £27.12

77.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$45.40 £34.06

-36.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$106 £79.8

-10.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$91.0 £68.3

-3.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$908 £681

-18.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$590 £443

-21.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,784 £1,339

17.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,199 £900

0.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$5,068 £3,802

-31.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$3,862 £2,897

-34.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$2,018 £1,514

-75.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.79

16.28%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Elgin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Elgin

$590 32.7% 27.6% $127

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Elgin

$316 17.5% 17.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Elgin

$260 14.4% 109% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Elgin

$126 7% 1% $1.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Elgin

$305 16.9% 152% $184

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Elgin

$59 3.3% 12.7% $8.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Elgin

$148 8.2% 274% $108

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $908 in Elgin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elgin pays 303% 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 $72.0 in Elgin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $316 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Elgin

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

25,040

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Elgin 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Elgin

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 Elgin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Elgin differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $1,803 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 303% lower in Elgin. 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 $908 in Elgin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 451% less than in Elgin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $937 in Elgin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,803 in Elgin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Elgin. 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 Elgin 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 49% less than in Elgin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.