Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Glasgow

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,425 in Glasgow, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Glasgow
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Glasgow Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Glasgow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Glasgow

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,425 in Glasgow, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Glasgow $2,425

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,706 in Glasgow, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Glasgow $3,706

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,987 in Glasgow, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Glasgow $4,987

Phuket is about 47% cheaper than Glasgow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Glasgow is 78% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$21.28 £15.97

-78.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$67.2 £50.4

-51.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.58 £7.94

-16.73%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$4.81 £3.61

-41.16%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.26 £1.69

-61.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.83 £1.37

-73.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$5.48 £4.11

-53.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.63 £4.98

-44.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.67 £1.25

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.64 £1.23

-10.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.00 £1.50

-25.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$4.00 £3.00

-47.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$9.28 £6.96

105.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.08 £6.82

-63.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.75 £12.57

-34.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$3.02 £2.27

-2.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.51 £1.13

11.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.91 £2.19

-22.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.19 £2.39

-34.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.93 £1.45

-21.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.55 £1.16

-10.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.13 £0.85

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.58 £1.19

-67.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$23.96 £17.98

-82.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$11.32 £8.49

65.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$3.37 £2.53

-45.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.33 £2.50

-14.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$3.98 £2.99

-63.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$108 £81.1

-47.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.75 £4.32

-47.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.14 £0.86

-10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$60.6 £45.48

-93.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$2.09 £1.57

-29.67%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$39.3K £29.5K

-31.82%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$40.6K £30.5K

-34.31%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$312 £234

-69.16%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$20.29 £15.22

-44.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$42.05 £31.55

-59.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$37.31 £28.00

80.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$20.73 £15.56

-48.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$16.26 £12.20

-53.87%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$1,124 £843

-57.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$21.6K £16.2K

-47.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$132 £99.0

-52.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$45.81 £34.37

-37.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$107 £80.0

-11.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$93.4 £70.1

-8.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,368 £1,027

-47.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$1,047 £786

-53.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$2,770 £2,078

-30.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$2,080 £1,561

-31.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$4,035 £3,027

3.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$2,923 £2,193

4.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,339 £2,505

-84.96%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Glasgow: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Glasgow

$1K 43.2% 113% $556

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Glasgow

$311 12.8% 16.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Glasgow

$375 15.5% 201% $250

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Glasgow

$170 7% 39.5% $48

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Glasgow

$317 13.1% 160% $195

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Glasgow

$70 2.9% 15.1% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Glasgow

$135 5.6% 91.9% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,368 in Glasgow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Glasgow are about 6.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $67 in Glasgow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $311 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Glasgow

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

05:04 5:04 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

606,340

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Glasgow 10,060 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Glasgow

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 Glasgow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $2,425 in Glasgow – Phuket comes out roughly 47% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,637 in Glasgow. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,368 in Glasgow.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $1,124 in Glasgow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Glasgow, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Glasgow at $2,425. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Glasgow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $2,425 in Glasgow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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