Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Preston

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,114 in Preston, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
101

Cost of Living Index in Preston
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Preston Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Preston

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Preston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,114 in Preston.

Phuket $1,278
Preston $2,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,021 in Preston.

Phuket $2,216
Preston $3,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,928 in Preston.

Phuket $3,154
Preston $3,928

Living in Phuket costs roughly 40% less than in Preston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Preston is 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.89 £11.96

-71.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$74.3 £55.9

-56.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.20 £6.93

-4.24%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.24 £3.19

-33.25%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.31 £1.74

-62.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.83 £1.38

-73.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.39 £4.06

-52.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.20 £3.91

-29.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.49 £1.12

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.43 £1.08

2.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.60 £1.21

-6.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.59 £2.70

-41.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$5.30 £3.99

259.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.53 £7.17

-65.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.68 £9.54

-13.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.59 £1.95

13.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.72 £1.29

-1.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.57 £1.93

-12.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.96 £2.98

-47.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.06 £1.55

-26.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.25 £1.70

-38.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.17 £0.88

-8.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.65 £1.24

-68.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$21.56 £16.23

-80.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.14 £6.88

105.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.18 £2.39

-42.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.25 £2.45

-12.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$3.92 £2.95

-63.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$98.5 £74.1

-42.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.60 £1.96

16.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.10 £1.58

-51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.99 £1.49

-26.13%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$37.9K £28.5K

-29.35%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$41.1K £31.0K

-35.12%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$439 £330

-78.05%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.86 £11.19

-24.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$43.51 £32.75

-61.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$41.40 £31.16

62.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.80 £12.64

-36.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$17.83 £13.42

-57.94%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,512 £1,138

-68.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,738 £6,576

28.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$75.7 £57.0

-17.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$26.16 £19.69

8.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$65.4 £49.21

44.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$66.4 £49.97

29.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$969 £729

-26.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$767 £578

-36.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,608 £1,210

19.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,211 £911

18.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,634 £2,735

14.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,379 £1,790

27.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,994 £2,253

-83.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.93

12.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Preston: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Preston

$767 36.3% 56.3% $277

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Preston

$281 13.3% 5.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Preston

$497 23.5% 300% $373

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Preston

$105 5% 13.7% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Preston

$260 12.3% 113% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Preston

$77 3.6% 6.3% $5.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Preston

$127 6% 80.3% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $969 in Preston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Preston pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $74 in Preston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $281 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Preston

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

01:01 1:01 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

114,300

💱 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 29, 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 29, 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 Preston 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Preston

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 Preston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 83% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $969 in Preston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,512 in Preston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Preston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,114 in Preston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Preston. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Preston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.