Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Glenrothes

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,416 in Glenrothes, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Glenrothes
Learn more

Glenrothes Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Glenrothes

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Glenrothes

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,416 in Glenrothes.

Phuket $1,278
Glenrothes $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,465 in Glenrothes.

Phuket $2,216
Glenrothes $3,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,514 in Glenrothes.

Phuket $3,154
Glenrothes $4,514

Living in Phuket costs roughly 47% less than in Glenrothes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Glenrothes is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.03 £11.23

-70.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$62.7 £46.82

-48.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.45 £7.81

-15.69%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.77 £2.82

-24.93%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.55 £1.91

-65.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$2.11 £1.58

-76.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$7.09 £5.30

-63.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.61 £4.19

-34.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.49 £1.11

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.76 £1.32

-17.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.94 £1.45

-22.68%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.40 £3.29

-52.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.51 £6.36

124.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.08 £9.02

-72.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.75 £12.51

-34.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.98 £2.23

-1.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.36 £1.01

24.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.87 £2.14

-21.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.84 £2.87

-45.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.72 £1.29

-12.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.44 £1.07

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.20 £0.90

-10.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.68 £1.25

-69.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$21.76 £16.25

-80.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.19 £8.36

67.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.66 £1.99

-31.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.07 £2.29

-7.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$3.65 £2.72

-60.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$96.9 £72.4

-41.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.11 £3.07

-26.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.35 £1.76

-56.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$24.11 £18.01

-84.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.87 £1.40

-21.39%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$38.8K £29.0K

-30.98%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$40.1K £30.0K

-33.43%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$401 £300

-75.98%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$27.44 £20.50

-58.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$42.18 £31.51

-60.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$46.60 £34.81

44.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.38 £8.50

-34.09%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,756 £1,312

-72.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$23.2K £17.3K

-51.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$96.3 £72.0

-35.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$47.89 £35.77

-40.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$104 £77.4

-8.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$114 £85.0

-24.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,206 £901

-40.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,001 £748

-50.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,101 £1,569

-8.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,675 £1,251

-14.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$5,047 £3,770

-17.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,863 £2,886

-21.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,326 £2,485

-84.90%

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 Glenrothes: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Glenrothes

$1K 41.5% 104% $510

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Glenrothes

$323 13.4% 21.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Glenrothes

$471 19.5% 278% $346

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Glenrothes

$163 6.7% 33.5% $41

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Glenrothes

$262 10.9% 115% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Glenrothes

$69 2.9% 15.7% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Glenrothes

$127 5.3% 80.4% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,206 in Glenrothes. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Glenrothes pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $63 in Glenrothes for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $323 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Glenrothes

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

10:43 10:43 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

39,277

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 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 Glenrothes 9,980 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Glenrothes

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 Glenrothes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 85% 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 $1,206 in Glenrothes. 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 $63 in Glenrothes. 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 $2,416 in Glenrothes – Phuket is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,416 in Glenrothes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Glenrothes. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Glenrothes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.