Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Newport

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,280 in Newport, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Newport, United Kingdom
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Newport
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,280
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Newport

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,280 in Newport.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Newport $2,280

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,218 in Newport.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Newport $3,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,156 in Newport.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Newport $4,156

Living in Phuket costs roughly 43% less than in Newport, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Newport is 69% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Newport
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿148
$19.95 £14.79
-77.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,086
$84.8 £62.9
-61.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿293
$10.93 £8.10
-20.40%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.6
$4.79 £3.56
-43.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.28
$2.28 £1.69
-59.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.79
$2.00 £1.48
-75.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.1
$5.22 £3.87
-51.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$5.12 £3.79
-29.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Newport
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.5
$1.82 £1.35
-4.40%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.77
$1.69 £1.25
-14.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$2.20 £1.63
-31.82%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.0
$4.47 £3.31
-51.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿642
$7.72 £5.72
147.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$8.80 £6.53
-61.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿366
$17.40 £12.91
-37.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.9
$2.71 £2.01
8.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$1.47 £1.09
14.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.8
$2.33 £1.73
-6.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.4
$3.28 £2.43
-35.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿49.03
$1.99 £1.47
-26.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.99
$1.51 £1.12
-9.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.17
$1.11 £0.83
-2.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.34
$1.64 £1.22
-66.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$23.34 £17.31
-81.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿614
$10.81 £8.02
68.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.6
$2.38 £1.77
-25.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.8
$3.33 £2.47
-13.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Newport
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.66
$3.29 £2.44
-55.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,845
$74.3 £55.1
-26.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$4.90 £3.64
-69.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.08
$1.68 £1.25
-53.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$36.90 £27.36
-89.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿50.0
$2.00 £1.49
-25.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿903.7K
$37.7K £28.0K
-28.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿885.7K
$41.4K £30.7K
-36.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Newport
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,288
$344 £255
-71.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿380
$24.32 £18.03
-53.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿578
$40.94 £30.36
-58.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Newport
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,297
$41.61 £30.85
64.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿367
$16.28 £12.07
-32.92%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$10.94 £8.11
-32.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Newport
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.8K
$1,884 £1,397
-71.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿631.4K
$25.3K £18.8K
-25.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Newport
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,073
$69.8 £51.8
-11.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿950
$35.90 £26.62
-21.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,228
$118 £87.7
-18.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,919
$94.5 £70.1
-8.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Newport
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.2K
$1,457 £1,080
-50.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.1K
$957 £709
-46.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.6K
$1,662 £1,233
17.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿47.0K
$1,311 £972
6.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿140.9K
$4,085 £3,029
2.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.9K
$3,592 £2,664
-8.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Newport
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.5K
$3,113 £2,308
-84.21%
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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Newport: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Newport
$957 88% $448
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Newport
$302 13.3% $36
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Newport
$410 224% $283
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Newport
$143 16.8% $21
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Newport
$303 154% $184
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Newport
$63 23.7% $20
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Newport
$101 52.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,457 in Newport. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Newport pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $85 in Newport for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $302 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇬🇧 Newport
🕒 Local time
21:48 9:48 PM
14:48 2:48 PM
7 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
25,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.831 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Newport 10,100 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Newport

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 Newport: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Newport?
Phuket is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Newport?
On paper, salaries run 84% 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Newport?
Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $1,457 in Newport. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Newport?
All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $2,280 in Newport – Phuket is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 26% less than in Newport. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Newport?
At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,280 in Newport, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Newport. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Newport?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Newport. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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