Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Margate Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Margate

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $917 in Margate.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,412 in Margate.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,907 in Margate.

Living in Phuket is roughly 34% more expensive than Margate, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Margate 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$7.05 R 118

-34.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$28.46 R 477

64.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$3.40 R 57.0

160.00%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$1.23 R 20.55

143.90%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.67 R 11.27

10.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.37 R 6.25

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$2.01 R 33.69

21.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$1.36 R 22.86

165.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$0.81 R 13.59

179.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.80 R 13.42

130.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$1.20 R 20.21

86.67%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.20 R 36.92

5.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$4.86 R 81.6

304.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$2.47 R 41.49

47.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$3.50 R 58.8

274.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$1.37 R 22.92

147.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.40 R 23.55

17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.23 R 20.62

95.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.29 R 21.68

57.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.99 R 16.62

57.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.19 R 19.95

26.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.97 R 16.33

5.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.95 R 15.97

-48.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$1.44 R 24.23

209.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$3.60 R 60.3

424.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.93 R 15.59

91.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$1.37 R 22.97

100.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$1.07 R 17.89

30.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$0.71 R 11.94

339.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.58 R 9.64

72.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$4.39 R 73.6

220.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.34 R 22.40

0.75%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$20.1K R 336.6K

35.44%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$24.5K R 411.3K

34.22%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$146 R 2,452

-14.53%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$29.77 R 499

-54.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$33.93 R 569

-45.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$31.19 R 523

97.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$3.44 R 57.7

389.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$3.68 R 61.8

149.73%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$206 R 3,453

239.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$4,675 R 78.4K

233.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$41.44 R 695

39.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$30.51 R 512

15.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$95.6 R 1,603

18.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$71.6 R 1,201

20.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$369 R 6,182

67.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$335 R 5,625

32.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$694 R 11.6K

194.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$684 R 11.5K

118.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$534 R 8,962

607.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$555 R 9,310

377.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$1,517 R 25.4K

-65.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

12.01

-55.62%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Margate: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $369 in Margate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Margate pays 190% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $28.00 in Margate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $129 per month, with Margate cheaper across the board.

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 Margate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Margate wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Margate the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Margate earns 190% less. 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: $616 in Phuket versus $369 in Margate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $206 in Margate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Margate – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $917 in Margate versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Margate but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Margate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Margate delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $917 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Margate hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Margate 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 Margate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.