Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Scarborough

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,130 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Scarborough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Scarborough

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,130 in Scarborough.

Phuket $1,208
Scarborough $2,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $3,096 in Scarborough.

Phuket $2,027
Scarborough $3,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $4,062 in Scarborough.

Phuket $2,845
Scarborough $4,062

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Scarborough is 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$15.36 £11.53

-71.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$71.1 £53.4

-54.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$12.12 £9.09

-27.72%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.51 £2.63

-19.37%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.05 £1.53

-56.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.02 £0.77

-53.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$4.58 £3.44

-44.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.29 £3.22

-10.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.29 £0.97

34.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.37 £1.03

7.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.08 £0.81

39.81%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.60 £2.70

-39.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$7.92 £5.94

148.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$7.18 £5.39

-53.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.94 £10.46

-19.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.13 £2.35

-8.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.99 £1.49

-14.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.65 £1.99

-17.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.09 £1.57

-1.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.74 £1.30

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.62 £1.21

-14.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.15 £0.87

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.91 £1.43

-73.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$22.58 £16.94

-81.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$9.59 £7.19

93.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$3.65 £2.74

-51.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.60 £2.70

-20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$3.30 £2.48

-31.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$86.0 £64.5

-74.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$5.73 £4.30

-47.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$4.97 £3.73

-78.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$33.58 £25.19

-88.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.98 £1.48

-26.77%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$36.0K £27.0K

-26.80%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$39.9K £29.9K

-32.49%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$356 £267

-72.93%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$25.99 £19.50

-57.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$32.74 £24.56

-47.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$66.1 £49.59

-21.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$12.67 £9.50

-11.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$10.66 £7.99

-26.74%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,804 £1,353

-69.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$14.7K £11.1K

-21.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$66.3 £49.73

-3.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$35.54 £26.66

-19.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$108 £81.3

-11.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$114 £85.2

-22.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$867 £651

-15.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$831 £624

-44.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,524 £1,143

37.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$1,365 £1,024

-12.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$910 £683

-44.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.53

0.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Scarborough: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Scarborough

$831 39% 79.8% $369

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Scarborough

$276 13% 2.8% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Scarborough

$415 19.5% 233% $290

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Scarborough

$146 6.8% 17.2% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Scarborough

$245 11.5% 102% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Scarborough

$87 4.1% 29% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Scarborough

$130 6.1% 229% $90

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $867 in Scarborough. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scarborough pays 82% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $71.0 in Scarborough for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $276 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Scarborough

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

03:30 3:30 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

61,749

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Scarborough 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Scarborough

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 Scarborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 82% lower in Scarborough. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $867 in Scarborough. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $1,804 in Scarborough. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Scarborough. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,130 in Scarborough, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Scarborough. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Scarborough, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Scarborough 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 76% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.