Cost of Living Comparison Between Poole and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Poole and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,488 in Poole versus $1,264 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,761 in Poole versus $2,256 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,034 in Poole versus $3,248 in Phuket.

Living in Poole is roughly 97% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Poole is 87% above, Phuket is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.51 £15.20

$4.48 ฿150

357.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 £81.5

$45.59 ฿1,521

141.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.29 £6.88

$8.76 ฿292

6.05%

Cappuccino

$4.90 £3.63

$2.97 ฿99.0

64.98%

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

$2.51 £1.86

$0.69 ฿22.90

263.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.31

$0.39 ฿13.04

353.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 £5.49

$2.53 ฿84.4

192.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 £5.14

$3.75 ฿125

85.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 £1.26

$2.15 ฿71.6

-20.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 £0.95

$1.82 ฿60.6

-29.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 £1.95

$2.18 ฿72.9

20.64%

Eggs

$3.41 £2.53

$2.25 ฿75.0

51.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 £7.34

$20.00 ฿667

-50.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 £5.19

$3.63 ฿121

92.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 £10.12

$13.56 ฿452

0.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 £2.04

$3.24 ฿108

-15.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 £0.93

$1.64 ฿54.6

-23.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 £1.66

$2.33 ฿77.8

-3.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 £1.68

$2.07 ฿69.1

9.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 £1.14

$1.55 ฿51.6

-0.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.12

$1.46 ฿48.54

4.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 £0.72

$0.98 ฿32.86

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 £1.07

$0.48 ฿16.09

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.60 £13.04

$4.35 ฿145

304.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.43 £6.99

$18.57 ฿620

-49.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 £1.92

$1.86 ฿61.9

39.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 £1.94

$2.65 ฿88.6

-1.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.95

$1.42 ฿47.28

180.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.3 £59.5

$11.57 ฿386

594.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 £3.01

$3.17 ฿106

27.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.03 ฿34.41

61.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.32 £16.54

$13.89 ฿463

60.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.34 ฿44.84

44.78%

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

$38.4K £28.5K

$27.8K ฿927.1K

38.32%

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

$38.5K £28.5K

$33.4K ฿1.1M

15.20%

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

$343 £254

$123 ฿4,105

178.37%

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

$16.58 £12.29

$13.77 ฿459

20.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.82 £33.22

$18.33 ฿611

144.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.53 £21.88

$60.7 ฿2,025

-51.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 ฿573

Cinema Ticket

$22.85 £16.93

$8.87 ฿296

157.61%

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

$2,329 £1,726

$688 ฿22.9K

238.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K £11.9K

$15.8K ฿526.4K

1.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.2 £63.9

$59.3 ฿1,978

45.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 £29.99

$34.69 ฿1,157

16.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 £68.1

$115 ฿3,843

-20.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 £64.5

$83.8 ฿2,794

3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 £905

$621 ฿20.7K

96.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 £923

$446 ฿14.9K

179.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 £1,711

$2,034 ฿67.8K

13.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,166 £1,606

$1,496 ฿49.9K

44.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,455 ฿115.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,105 £1,560

$2,531 ฿84.4K

-16.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,241 £2,402

$494 ฿16.5K

556.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.45

5.33

2.25%

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

Last update for Poole: July 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,221 in Poole and $621 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Poole pays 557% 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: $110 in Poole vs $46.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $291, with Poole cheaper for home cooking.

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

Poole vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 97% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 557% higher in Poole, 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: $1,221 in Poole versus $621 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,329 in Poole versus $688 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Poole pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,264 in Phuket versus $2,488 in Poole, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Poole. 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 Poole, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Poole 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 97% less than in Poole. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.