Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and the Isle of Islay

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index on the Isle of Islay
Learn more

Isle of Islay Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and on the Isle of Islay

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and on the Isle of Islay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Isle of Islay $2,352

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $3,353 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Isle of Islay $3,353

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $4,354 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Isle of Islay $4,354

Phuket is about 49% cheaper than the Isle of Islay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Isle of Islay is 74% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$21.60 £16.21

-79.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$81.4 £61.1

-60.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$10.60 £7.95

-17.36%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.48 £3.36

-36.83%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.48 £1.86

-63.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.32 £0.99

-64.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$5.83 £4.37

-56.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.01 £4.51

-36.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.03 £1.52

-14.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.75 £1.32

-16.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.74 £2.06

-44.89%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$5.41 £4.06

-59.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$7.39 £5.54

166.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.52 £7.14

-64.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$15.36 £11.53

-27.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.50 £1.88

14.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.20 £1.65

-22.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.82 £2.12

-22.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.87 £2.15

-28.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.06 £2.29

-52.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.11 £1.58

-34.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.86 £1.40

-42.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$2.43 £1.82

-79.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$23.79 £17.85

-82.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$12.03 £9.03

54.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$3.26 £2.44

-45.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.22 £2.41

-11.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$3.50 £2.62

-35.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$98.1 £73.6

-77.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$4.75 £3.56

-36.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$3.79 £2.84

-72.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$26.58 £19.94

-85.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.07 £1.55

-29.95%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$38.5K £28.9K

-31.67%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$40.4K £30.3K

-33.35%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$238 £178

-59.45%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$13.09 £9.82

-15.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$42.21 £31.67

-59.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$43.82 £32.88

19.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$13.44 £10.08

-41.89%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,918 £1,439

-71.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$24.8K £18.6K

-53.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$100 £75.1

-35.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$57.6 £43.19

-50.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$121 £90.9

-21.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$87.1 £65.4

0.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,272 £955

-42.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,039 £779

-55.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$2,126 £1,595

-1.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,449 £1,087

-17.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$5,528 £4,147

-36.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$3,409 £2,558

-26.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.41

2.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Isle of Islay

$1K 44.2% 125% $577

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Isle of Islay

$334 14.2% 24.5% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Isle of Islay

$293 12.5% 135% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Isle of Islay

$165 7% 32.5% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Isle of Islay

$315 13.4% 160% $194

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Isle of Islay

$71 3% 4.3% $2.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Isle of Islay

$136 5.8% 244% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $1,272 on the Isle of Islay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $334 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Isle of Islay

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,457

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Isle of Islay 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Isle of Islay

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 Isle of Islay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Isle of Islay is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $3,528 on the Isle of Islay. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $2,352 on the Isle of Islay. That's a gap of about 95%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than on the Isle of Islay at $2,352. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while on the Isle of Islay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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