Cost of Living Comparison Between Plymouth and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Plymouth and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,631 in Plymouth versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,601 in Plymouth versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,570 in Plymouth versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Plymouth is roughly 110% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Plymouth is 91% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.45 £17.35

$4.56 ฿150

414.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.0 £65.9

$32.62 ฿1,072

172.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 £8.14

$8.90 ฿293

23.60%

Cappuccino

$4.76 £3.52

$2.80 ฿92.2

70.00%

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

$2.22 £1.64

$0.88 ฿28.93

152.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.30

$0.49 ฿16.08

259.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.27 £4.64

$2.39 ฿78.5

162.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 £5.13

$3.71 ฿122

87.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 £1.08

$1.79 ฿58.7

-18.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 £0.96

$1.44 ฿47.38

-10.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 £2.24

$1.58 ฿52.1

91.14%

Eggs

$4.13 £3.05

$2.13 ฿69.9

93.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 £7.57

$19.92 ฿655

-48.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.25 £6.10

$3.43 ฿113

140.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.62 £10.08

$11.33 ฿372

20.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 £1.49

$2.95 ฿96.9

-31.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 £0.96

$1.72 ฿56.6

-24.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 £3.06

$2.32 ฿76.4

78.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 £2.95

$2.08 ฿68.4

91.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 £1.39

$1.47 ฿48.33

27.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.36 ฿44.64

-8.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 £1.35

$1.10 ฿36.12

65.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 £1.12

$0.57 ฿18.89

164.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.97 £17.73

$4.27 ฿140

461.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.32 £5.42

$18.42 ฿605

-60.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.33

$1.87 ฿61.5

68.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 £3.54

$2.92 ฿96.0

63.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.04 £2.99

$2.22 ฿72.9

81.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$132 £97.7

$22.90 ฿753

476.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.74 £4.99

$3.03 ฿99.6

122.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 £1.86

$1.07 ฿35.31

134.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.42

$1.49 ฿49.04

28.86%

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

$38.5K £28.5K

$27.1K ฿891.7K

41.91%

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

$41.8K £30.9K

$27.5K ฿902.3K

52.39%

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

$465 £344

$103 ฿3,379

352.69%

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

$32.81 £24.27

$10.99 ฿361

198.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.8 £50.2

$17.51 ฿576

287.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.32 £32.79

$53.5 ฿1,760

-17.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 £13.28

$11.20 ฿368

60.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 £8.36

$7.48 ฿246

51.07%

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

$2,732 £2,021

$557 ฿18.3K

390.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.6K £21.2K

$11.9K ฿389.6K

141.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 £62.8

$64.1 ฿2,106

32.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.6 £44.09

$29.07 ฿956

104.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 £71.4

$96.0 ฿3,154

0.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 £61.4

$90.3 ฿2,970

-8.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,071 £793

$730 ฿24.0K

46.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,065 £788

$500 ฿16.4K

113.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,351 £1,739

$2,090 ฿68.7K

12.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 £1,058

$1,209 ฿39.7K

18.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,897 £3,623

$3,596 ฿118.2K

36.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,426 £2,534

$2,512 ฿82.6K

36.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,166 £2,342

$503 ฿16.5K

529.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.64

5.57

1.26%

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

Last update for Plymouth: August 29, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,071 in Plymouth and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plymouth pays 529% 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: $89.0 in Plymouth vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $273 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Plymouth vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Getting Around, Clothing & Footwear, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 110% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 529% higher in Plymouth, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,071 in Plymouth versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,732 in Plymouth versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Plymouth. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,631 in Plymouth, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Plymouth. 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 Plymouth, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Plymouth and Phuket 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 110% less than in Plymouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.