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: $2,477 in Poole versus $1,223 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,744 in Poole versus $2,237 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,010 in Poole versus $3,251 in Phuket.

Living in Poole is roughly 102% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Poole is 86% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 £15.14

$4.51 ฿147

350.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £81.5

$46.62 ฿1,515

134.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 £7.14

$8.49 ฿276

12.96%

Cappuccino

$4.88 £3.64

$3.08 ฿100

58.44%

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

$2.63 £1.96

$0.68 ฿22.07

286.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.31

$0.36 ฿11.75

388.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.51 £5.59

$2.43 ฿78.8

209.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 £5.34

$3.63 ฿118

97.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.22

$2.19 ฿71.1

-25.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 £0.94

$1.81 ฿59.0

-29.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 £1.97

$2.23 ฿72.5

18.83%

Eggs

$3.45 £2.57

$2.24 ฿72.7

54.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.86 £7.35

$19.60 ฿637

-49.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.16 £5.33

$3.72 ฿121

92.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 £9.93

$13.47 ฿438

-0.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 £2.08

$3.36 ฿109

-16.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 £0.91

$1.62 ฿52.5

-24.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 £1.65

$2.41 ฿78.3

-8.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 £1.71

$1.99 ฿64.6

15.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 £1.09

$1.53 ฿49.76

-3.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 £1.09

$1.45 ฿47.19

1.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 £0.75

$1.01 ฿32.96

-0.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 £1.07

$0.48 ฿15.73

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.32 £12.90

$4.27 ฿139

305.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.50 £7.08

$19.12 ฿621

-50.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 £1.94

$1.84 ฿59.7

41.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 £1.89

$2.74 ฿89.1

-7.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.02 £2.99

$1.42 ฿46.06

183.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.2 £59.7

$11.72 ฿381

584.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 £3.06

$3.00 ฿97.6

37.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.05 ฿34.00

56.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.98 £16.37

$13.90 ฿452

58.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.29 ฿41.94

47.29%

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

$38.2K £28.4K

$28.0K ฿911.1K

36.20%

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

$39.6K £29.5K

$33.5K ฿1.1M

18.35%

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

$347 £258

$122 ฿3,964

184.23%

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

$16.14 £12.02

$13.93 ฿453

15.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.65 £34.00

$18.87 ฿613

141.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.48 £21.96

$61.3 ฿1,992

-51.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿547

Cinema Ticket

$22.32 £16.63

$8.89 ฿289

151.07%

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

$2,288 £1,704

$691 ฿22.5K

231.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K £12.3K

$16.2K ฿525.2K

2.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 £63.6

$57.8 ฿1,878

47.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.28 £30.74

$35.39 ฿1,150

16.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 £68.6

$113 ฿3,685

-18.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.6 £63.0

$83.0 ฿2,698

1.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 £880

$607 ฿19.7K

94.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,236 £920

$448 ฿14.6K

175.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,377 £1,770

$2,029 ฿66.0K

17.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,194 £1,634

$1,493 ฿48.5K

46.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,585 ฿116.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,088 £1,555

$2,585 ฿84.0K

-19.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,232 £2,407

$505 ฿16.4K

540.37%

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: June 15, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,181 in Poole and $607 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Poole pays 540% 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: $109 in Poole vs $47.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $292, 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 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Poole pays 540% more on average, 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: $1,181 in Poole versus $607 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,288 in Poole versus $691 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Poole pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,223 in Phuket versus $2,477 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 102% less than in Poole. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.