Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Merthyr Tydfil

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,104 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Merthyr Tydfil
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Merthyr Tydfil Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Merthyr Tydfil

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,104

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Merthyr Tydfil

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,104 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Merthyr Tydfil $2,104

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,907 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Merthyr Tydfil $2,907

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,710 in Merthyr Tydfil, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Merthyr Tydfil $3,710

Phuket is about 39% cheaper than Merthyr Tydfil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Merthyr Tydfil is 55% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$24.24 £18.10

-81.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$61.5 £45.91

-47.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.48 £7.83

-15.94%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.68 £3.49

-39.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.61 £1.95

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.65 £1.23

-70.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.19 £4.62

-58.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.55 £4.14

-33.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.42 £1.06

16.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.64 £0.48

128.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.66 £1.24

-9.64%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.02 £3.00

-48.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.55 £6.39

123.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.92 £6.66

-63.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.33 £9.95

-18.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.61 £1.95

12.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.80 £1.35

-6.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.61 £1.95

-13.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.10 £2.31

-32.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.23 £0.92

22.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.31 £0.98

5.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.20 £0.90

-10.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.08 £0.81

-51.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$23.69 £17.69

-82.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.65 £7.96

76.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.90 £2.17

-37.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.51 £2.62

-19.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$96.7 £72.2

-41.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.44 £2.57

-12.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.66 £1.24

-38.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$27.13 £20.26

-86.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.18 £1.63

-32.57%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$38.7K £28.9K

-30.75%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$40.8K £30.4K

-34.51%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$326 £244

-70.46%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.16 £9.83

-14.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$36.78 £27.46

-54.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$40.41 £30.17

66.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.94 £5.93

-5.54%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,350 £1,755

-79.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$25.2K £18.8K

-55.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$100 £75.0

-37.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$48.24 £36.02

-41.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$108 £80.8

-12.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$99.4 £74.2

-13.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$789 £589

-9.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$792 £591

-38.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,153 £861

67.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,007 £752

42.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,572 £1,174

-68.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.87

14.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Merthyr Tydfil: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Merthyr Tydfil

$792 37.6% 61.3% $301

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Merthyr Tydfil

$270 12.9% 1.6% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Merthyr Tydfil

$376 17.9% 202% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Merthyr Tydfil

$160 7.6% 31.5% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Merthyr Tydfil

$341 16.2% 180% $219

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Merthyr Tydfil

$56 2.7% 31.6% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Merthyr Tydfil

$108 * 5.2% 53.6% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $789 in Merthyr Tydfil. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Merthyr Tydfil are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $61 in Merthyr Tydfil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $270 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Merthyr Tydfil

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

22:30 10:30 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

43,820

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 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 Merthyr Tydfil 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Merthyr Tydfil

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 Merthyr Tydfil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $2,104 in Merthyr Tydfil – Phuket comes out roughly 39% 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 $3,156 in Merthyr Tydfil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $716 in Phuket and $789 in Merthyr Tydfil. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,104 in Merthyr Tydfil. That makes Phuket about 39% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $2,350 in Merthyr Tydfil. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Merthyr Tydfil at $2,104. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Merthyr Tydfil 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.

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