Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Wigan

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,078 in Wigan, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Wigan
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Wigan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Wigan

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,078

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Wigan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,078 in Wigan.

Phuket $1,294
Wigan $2,078

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,025 in Wigan.

Phuket $2,204
Wigan $3,025

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,973 in Wigan.

Phuket $3,115
Wigan $3,973

Living in Phuket costs roughly 38% less than in Wigan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Wigan is 54% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$20.17 £14.95

-78.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$71.3 £52.9

-54.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$10.10 £7.49

-13.86%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$4.09 £3.03

-33.50%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$2.42 £1.80

-61.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$1.59 £1.18

-68.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$4.92 £3.65

-48.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.21 £3.13

-13.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.30 £0.96

33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.44 £1.07

0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.38 £1.02

8.70%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.62 £2.68

-40.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$5.32 £3.95

258.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.61 £4.16

-39.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.81 £5.79

39.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.49 £1.10

97.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.75 £1.30

-3.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$3.53 £2.62

-37.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$3.70 £2.74

-42.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.82 £1.35

-19.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.77 £1.31

-22.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.16 £0.86

-6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$2.02 £1.50

-72.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$23.19 £17.20

-80.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$9.23 £6.85

97.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$4.43 £3.29

-60.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.27 £2.42

-11.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$2.65 £1.96

-45.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$107 £79.0

-48.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.44 £2.55

-56.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$1.61 £1.20

-51.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$16.45 £12.20

-76.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.91 £1.41

-21.99%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$38.0K £28.2K

-29.34%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$39.8K £29.5K

-33.87%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$349 £259

-71.94%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$16.25 £12.05

-30.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$40.40 £29.96

-57.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$59.5 £44.10

14.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$17.39 £12.89

-57.27%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$1,583 £1,174

-66.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$19.4K £14.4K

-2.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$110 £81.9

-44.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$56.2 £41.71

-49.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$114 £84.4

-15.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$116 £86.1

-25.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$937 £695

-23.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$731 £542

-30.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$1,438 £1,066

35.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$1,199 £889

16.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$3,807 £2,823

10.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$2,696 £2,000

22.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$3,457 £2,563

-85.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.4

-12.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Wigan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Wigan

$731 35.2% 43.7% $222

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Wigan

$250 12.1% 6.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Wigan

$405 19.5% 221% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Wigan

$178 8.6% 45.4% $56

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Wigan

$290 14% 142% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Wigan

$94 4.5% 13.3% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Wigan

$129 6.2% 94.8% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $937 in Wigan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wigan 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 $71 in Wigan. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $250, with Wigan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇧 Wigan

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

06:06 6:06 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

81,203

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Wigan 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Wigan

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 Wigan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and clothing. 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: $721 in Phuket versus $937 in Wigan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $1,583 in Wigan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Wigan pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,078 in Wigan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Wigan. 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.

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