Cost of Living Comparison Between Retford and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Retford and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,284 in Retford versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,367 in Retford versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,450 in Retford versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Retford is roughly 83% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Retford is 71% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.68 £15.40

$4.55 ฿153

354.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 £60.7

$46.18 ฿1,553

76.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 £7.51

$8.84 ฿297

14.03%

Cappuccino

$4.75 £3.54

$3.06 ฿103

55.23%

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

$2.28 £1.70

$0.73 ฿24.40

212.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.40 ฿13.39

315.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 £4.53

$2.43 ฿81.8

150.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 £4.62

$3.78 ฿127

64.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 £1.17

$2.26 ฿76.0

-30.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.81 ฿60.9

-9.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 £1.69

$2.25 ฿75.8

0.89%

Eggs

$3.88 £2.89

$2.25 ฿75.5

72.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 £7.45

$19.51 ฿656

-48.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.57 £6.38

$3.65 ฿123

134.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 £10.55

$13.05 ฿439

8.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 £2.30

$3.23 ฿109

-4.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 £1.23

$1.62 ฿54.4

1.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 £2.15

$2.38 ฿80.1

21.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 £2.64

$2.03 ฿68.1

74.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.53 ฿51.6

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.50 ฿50.5

2.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 £0.83

$0.98 ฿32.91

13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.12

$0.52 ฿17.39

188.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.23 £14.32

$4.44 ฿149

333.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.82 £8.06

$18.32 ฿616

-40.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 £2.01

$1.86 ฿62.7

45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 £2.39

$2.68 ฿90.1

19.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.46 £2.58

$1.41 ฿47.46

145.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.6 £66.7

$11.70 ฿393

665.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 £3.99

$3.11 ฿105

72.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.04 ฿35.06

50.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.39 £17.42

$14.11 ฿474

65.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.47

$1.31 ฿44.10

51.15%

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

$38.2K £28.4K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

37.24%

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

$41.4K £30.8K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

24.50%

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

$300 £223

$122 ฿4,118

144.63%

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

$17.44 £12.98

$13.59 ฿457

28.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.65 £31.75

$18.70 ฿629

128.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.20 £34.40

$60.5 ฿2,034

-23.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

Cinema Ticket

$13.73 £10.22

$9.07 ฿305

51.38%

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

$1,580 £1,176

$706 ฿23.8K

123.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K £13.9K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

18.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.6 £62.2

$58.6 ฿1,969

42.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.29 £32.23

$35.36 ฿1,189

22.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 £68.5

$115 ฿3,883

-20.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.1 £73.8

$83.7 ฿2,816

18.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 £893

$626 ฿21.0K

91.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$989 £736

$445 ฿15.0K

122.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,054 £1,529

$2,040 ฿68.6K

0.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 £1,271

$1,492 ฿50.2K

14.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,177 £3,855

$3,483 ฿117.1K

48.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,991 £1,482

$2,577 ฿86.7K

-22.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 £1,300

$500 ฿16.8K

249.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

5.33

5.63%

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

Last update for Retford: July 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,199 in Retford and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Retford pays 249% 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: $81.0 in Retford vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 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

Retford 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 83% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 249% higher in Retford, 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: $1,199 in Retford versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,580 in Retford 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 3% higher in Retford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,284 in Retford, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Retford. 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 Retford, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Retford 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 83% less than in Retford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.