Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lowestoft

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,625 in Lowestoft, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Lowestoft
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Lowestoft Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Lowestoft

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lowestoft

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,625 in Lowestoft.

Phuket $1,278
Lowestoft $2,625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,865 in Lowestoft.

Phuket $2,216
Lowestoft $3,865

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,105 in Lowestoft.

Phuket $3,154
Lowestoft $5,105

Living in Phuket costs roughly 51% less than in Lowestoft, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Lowestoft is 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$27.13 £20.42

-83.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$105 £79.3

-69.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.71 £8.06

-17.74%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.54 £4.17

-48.92%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.92 £2.19

-70.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.14 £1.61

-77.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.31 £4.75

-59.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.97 £6.00

-53.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.92 £1.44

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.00 £1.51

-27.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.47 £1.86

-39.27%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.95 £3.73

-57.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$12.60 £9.49

51.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.54 £7.93

-68.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.21 £12.95

-36.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.14 £2.36

-6.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.38 £1.04

22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.14 £2.36

-28.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.43 £2.58

-39.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.68 £1.27

-10.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.72 £1.30

-19.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.48 £1.11

-27.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.80 £1.36

-71.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$23.71 £17.85

-82.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.22 £9.95

42.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.19 £2.40

-42.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.49 £3.38

-36.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$3.51 £2.64

-58.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$95.2 £71.7

-40.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.55 £4.18

-45.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.27 £2.46

-68.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$26.08 £19.63

-85.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.07 £1.56

-28.99%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$38.2K £28.8K

-29.94%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$40.5K £30.5K

-34.17%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$379 £285

-74.56%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.61 £14.01

-39.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$41.08 £30.91

-58.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$47.05 £35.41

42.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$17.91 £13.48

-58.12%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,861 £2,153

-83.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$36.0K £27.1K

-68.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$116 £87.5

-46.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$55.0 £41.42

-48.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$126 £94.7

-25.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$162 £122

-46.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,226 £922

-41.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,031 £776

-52.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,125 £1,599

-9.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,632 £1,229

-12.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$5,020 £3,778

-16.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,878 £2,918

-21.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.74

17.51%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lowestoft: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Lowestoft

$1K 39.3% 110% $540

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Lowestoft

$352 13.4% 32.3% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Lowestoft

$438 16.7% 252% $314

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lowestoft

$207 7.9% 69.4% $85

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lowestoft

$383 14.6% 215% $262

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Lowestoft

$83 3.2% 0.8% $0.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Lowestoft

$131 5% 85.8% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,226 in Lowestoft. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $105 in Lowestoft for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $352 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Lowestoft

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

18:39 6:39 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

64,358

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lowestoft 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lowestoft

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 Lowestoft: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 105% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,938 in Lowestoft to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,226 in Lowestoft. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $2,861 in Lowestoft. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Lowestoft. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,625 in Lowestoft, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Lowestoft. 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 Lowestoft 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 51% less than in Lowestoft. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.