Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,769 in Portsmouth versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,807 in Portsmouth versus $2,054 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,845 in Portsmouth versus $2,876 in Phuket.

Living in Portsmouth is roughly 125% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Portsmouth is 102% above, Phuket is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.13 £15.04

$4.41 ฿147

356.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 £50.8

$32.26 ฿1,077

110.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 £7.70

$8.93 ฿298

15.45%

Cappuccino

$4.82 £3.60

$2.90 ฿96.6

66.21%

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

$2.80 £2.09

$0.88 ฿29.38

218.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 £1.77

$0.48 ฿16.06

391.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.29 £4.70

$2.35 ฿78.5

167.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 £4.49

$3.72 ฿124

61.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 £1.06

$1.87 ฿62.3

-24.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.47 ฿48.94

10.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 £2.83

$1.55 ฿51.8

144.52%

Eggs

$3.42 £2.56

$2.10 ฿70.1

62.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.75 £10.28

$19.59 ฿654

-29.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.56 £6.39

$3.42 ฿114

150.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.69 £10.23

$11.38 ฿380

20.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 £3.04

$2.98 ฿99.6

36.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 £1.46

$1.68 ฿56.2

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.28

$2.21 ฿73.7

38.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 £2.44

$2.16 ฿72.1

50.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.52 ฿50.9

9.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.34 ฿44.67

26.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.13 ฿37.67

4.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$0.55 ฿18.24

169.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.92 £17.13

$4.26 ฿142

438.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.66 £8.71

$19.09 ฿637

-38.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 £2.24

$1.78 ฿59.4

67.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 £1.64

$2.78 ฿92.9

-21.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.00 £2.99

$2.23 ฿74.4

79.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.6 £67.0

$22.74 ฿759

294.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.24 £3.92

$3.03 ฿101

72.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.02 ฿34.15

51.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.64 £15.42

$3.89 ฿130

430.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.57

$1.49 ฿49.77

40.94%

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

$38.7K £28.9K

$26.6K ฿887.3K

45.51%

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

$41.1K £30.7K

$27.0K ฿902.2K

51.99%

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

$677 £506

$102 ฿3,420

560.79%

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

$15.16 £11.33

$11.33 ฿378

33.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.17 £32.26

$17.40 ฿581

148.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.20 £29.29

$52.1 ฿1,738

-24.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.37 £12.98

$11.07 ฿370

56.91%

Cinema Ticket

$11.00 £8.22

$7.69 ฿257

43.04%

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

$1,303 £974

$561 ฿18.7K

132.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K £15.3K

$11.5K ฿384.1K

78.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.1 £70.3

$63.0 ฿2,104

49.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 £29.93

$29.52 ฿986

35.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.2

$98.0 ฿3,272

4.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 £93.5

$88.5 ฿2,954

41.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 £1,136

$738 ฿24.6K

105.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 £849

$482 ฿16.1K

135.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 £1,582

$2,107 ฿70.3K

0.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 £1,282

$1,226 ฿40.9K

39.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,553 £3,402

$3,617 ฿120.7K

25.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,791 £2,833

$2,603 ฿86.9K

45.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,516 £2,627

$494 ฿16.5K

612.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

5.57

-7.36%

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

Last update for Portsmouth: September 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,520 in Portsmouth and $738 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth pays 612% 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: $68.0 in Portsmouth vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $274 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

Portsmouth vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 125% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 612% higher in Portsmouth, 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: $1,520 in Portsmouth versus $738 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,303 in Portsmouth versus $561 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Portsmouth. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $2,769 in Portsmouth, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Portsmouth. 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 Portsmouth, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Portsmouth 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 125% less than in Portsmouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.