Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Exeter

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,571 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
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Exeter Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,571

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Exeter

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,571 in Exeter.

Phuket $1,278
Exeter $2,571

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,846 in Exeter.

Phuket $2,216
Exeter $3,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,121 in Exeter.

Phuket $3,154
Exeter $5,121

Living in Phuket costs roughly 50% less than in Exeter, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Exeter is 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.92 £14.88

-77.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$97.8 £73.1

-66.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.57 £7.15

-7.94%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.96 £3.70

-42.94%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$3.17 £2.37

-72.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.51 £1.87

-80.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$7.45 £5.57

-65.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.16 £4.60

-40.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.52 £1.14

9.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.68 £1.26

-13.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.78 £1.33

-15.73%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.30 £3.21

-51.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.70 £6.50

119.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.71 £6.51

-62.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$23.73 £17.73

-54.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.12 £2.33

-6.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.43 £1.07

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.32 £1.74

-3.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.19 £2.38

-34.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.27 £1.70

-33.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.97 £1.47

-29.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.61 £1.20

-33.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.95 £1.45

-73.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$23.49 £17.54

-82.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.54 £7.13

96.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.74 £2.80

-51.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$4.42 £3.30

-35.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$3.92 £2.93

-63.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$112 £83.6

-49.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.75 £4.29

-47.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.53 £1.89

-59.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$23.92 £17.86

-84.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.04 £1.53

-27.94%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$38.7K £28.9K

-30.80%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$40.1K £30.0K

-33.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$469 £350

-79.44%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.97 £11.93

-29.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$47.00 £35.10

-64.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$39.72 £29.66

69.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.18 £9.84

-18.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.62 £9.43

-40.57%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,180 £1,628

-78.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$17.6K £13.2K

-36.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$68.0 £50.8

-8.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$31.16 £23.27

-8.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$105 £78.7

-10.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$74.2 £55.4

15.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,381 £1,031

-48.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,050 £784

-53.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,160 £1,613

-10.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,946 £1,454

-26.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$5,743 £4,289

-27.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$4,565 £3,409

-33.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,062 £2,287

-83.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.11

9.00%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Exeter: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Exeter

$1K 40.8% 114% $559

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Exeter

$334 13% 25.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Exeter

$532 20.7% 327% $407

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Exeter

$125 4.9% 2.9% $3.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Exeter

$320 12.4% 163% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Exeter

$65 2.5% 21% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Exeter

$146 5.7% 107% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,381 in Exeter. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Exeter pays about 6.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $98 in Exeter for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $334 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Exeter

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

14:26 2:26 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

130,800

💱 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 October 31, 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 October 31, 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 Exeter 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Exeter

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 Exeter: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,571 in Exeter, so Phuket is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 84% 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 $1,381 in Exeter. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $98 in Exeter. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,571 in Exeter – Phuket is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,571 in Exeter, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Exeter. 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 Exeter are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Exeter. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.