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: $2,574 in Portsmouth versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,644 in Portsmouth versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,714 in Portsmouth versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Portsmouth is roughly 106% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Portsmouth is 93% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.96 £17.07

$4.55 ฿153

404.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.8 £63.8

$46.18 ฿1,550

85.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 £6.53

$8.84 ฿297

-0.57%

Cappuccino

$4.46 £3.32

$3.06 ฿103

45.75%

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

$2.21 £1.64

$0.73 ฿24.36

202.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.29

$0.40 ฿13.37

335.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 £4.50

$2.43 ฿81.6

148.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 £4.65

$3.78 ฿127

65.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 £1.21

$2.26 ฿75.8

-27.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 £1.13

$1.81 ฿60.8

-16.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 £2.13

$2.25 ฿75.7

27.11%

Eggs

$3.17 £2.36

$2.25 ฿75.4

40.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.76 £6.51

$19.51 ฿655

-55.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.35 £5.47

$3.65 ฿122

101.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.07 £11.21

$13.05 ฿438

15.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 £3.18

$3.23 ฿109

32.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 £1.62

$1.62 ฿54.3

35.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 £2.27

$2.38 ฿80.0

28.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 £3.61

$2.03 ฿68.0

138.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.53 ฿51.5

-19.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.50 ฿50.4

10.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 £0.81

$0.98 ฿32.85

12.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 £1.38

$0.52 ฿17.36

257.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.38 £12.92

$4.44 ฿149

291.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 £8.54

$18.32 ฿615

-37.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.26

$1.86 ฿62.6

63.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.34

$2.68 ฿90.0

-32.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.46 £2.57

$1.41 ฿47.37

145.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.7 £66.7

$11.70 ฿393

666.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 £3.49

$3.11 ฿104

51.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 £1.30

$1.04 ฿35.00

67.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.44 £12.22

$14.11 ฿474

16.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.46

$1.31 ฿44.02

49.62%

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

$38.2K £28.4K

$27.8K ฿933.8K

37.40%

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

$40.7K £30.3K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

22.68%

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

$454 £338

$122 ฿4,110

270.84%

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

$15.59 £11.59

$13.59 ฿456

14.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.66 £30.97

$18.70 ฿628

122.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.82 £26.63

$60.5 ฿2,031

-40.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.42 £15.18

$16.98 ฿570

20.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.76 £8.00

$9.07 ฿305

18.63%

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

$1,283 £954

$706 ฿23.7K

81.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K £13.4K

$15.8K ฿530.5K

14.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 £62.0

$58.6 ฿1,965

42.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 £31.27

$35.36 ฿1,187

18.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 £65.7

$115 ฿3,876

-23.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 £101

$83.7 ฿2,811

61.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 £1,038

$626 ฿21.0K

123.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 £804

$445 ฿14.9K

143.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 £1,432

$2,040 ฿68.5K

-5.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 £1,271

$1,492 ฿50.1K

14.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,472 £3,325

$3,483 ฿116.9K

28.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,822 £2,841

$2,577 ฿86.5K

48.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,463 £2,574

$500 ฿16.8K

592.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.33

10.69%

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

Last update for Portsmouth: July 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,397 in Portsmouth and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portsmouth pays 593% 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: $86.0 in Portsmouth vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $289 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 Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 106% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 593% 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: $1,397 in Portsmouth versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,283 in Portsmouth versus $706 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Portsmouth. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,574 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 106% less than in Portsmouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.