Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Stirling

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,133 in Stirling, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Stirling
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Stirling Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Stirling

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Stirling

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,133 in Stirling.

Phuket $1,278
Stirling $2,133

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,249 in Stirling.

Phuket $2,216
Stirling $3,249

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,365 in Stirling.

Phuket $3,154
Stirling $4,365

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Stirling is 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.26 £15.14

-77.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$93.5 £69.9

-65.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.62 £7.93

-17.04%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.68 £3.49

-39.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.45 £1.83

-64.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.83 £1.36

-73.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.13 £4.58

-58.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.56 £3.41

-19.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.37 £1.02

21.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.36 £1.02

7.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.89 £1.41

-20.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.72 £2.78

-43.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.72 £6.51

118.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.72 £5.77

-57.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.58 £4.91

65.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.96 £2.21

-1.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.34 £1.00

26.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.85 £2.13

-21.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.66 £1.99

-21.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.65 £1.23

-8.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.50 £1.12

-8.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.01 £0.75

5.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.49 £1.11

-65.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$22.67 £16.93

-81.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.07 £8.27

69.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.72 £2.03

-33.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.93 £2.19

-3.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$6.25 £4.67

-76.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$75.9 £56.7

-25.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.91 £2.92

-22.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.42 £1.81

-57.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$23.97 £17.91

-84.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$2.07 £1.55

-28.99%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$38.7K £28.9K

-30.81%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$40.0K £29.9K

-33.26%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$284 £212

-66.10%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.62 £11.67

-27.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$40.24 £30.06

-58.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$31.94 £23.86

110.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.97 £12.68

-36.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.29 £6.94

-19.27%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,875 £1,401

-74.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$23.3K £17.4K

-51.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$98.5 £73.6

-36.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$36.77 £27.47

-22.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$92.6 £69.2

1.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$54.3 £40.58

57.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,028 £768

-30.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$938 £701

-47.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,350 £1,756

-18.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,700 £1,270

-15.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$3,505 £2,618

-85.67%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Stirling: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Stirling

$938 44% 91.1% $447

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Stirling

$253 11.9% 4.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Stirling

$340 16% 173% $216

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Stirling

$127 6% 4.2% $5.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Stirling

$307 14.4% 152% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Stirling

$51 2.4% 38.6% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Stirling

$117 5.5% 65.6% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,028 in Stirling. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stirling pays about 7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $94 in Stirling. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $253, with Stirling cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Stirling

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

09:55 9:55 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

37,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 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 Stirling 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Stirling

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 Stirling: 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 86% 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 $1,028 in Stirling. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,875 in Stirling. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Stirling pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,133 in Stirling, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Stirling. 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Stirling are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Stirling on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.