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: $2,301 in Retford versus $1,247 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,426 in Retford versus $2,276 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,552 in Retford versus $3,306 in Phuket.

Living in Retford is roughly 85% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Retford is 71% above, Phuket is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 £15.07

$4.59 ฿147

344.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.3 £60.1

$46.83 ฿1,500

73.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 £7.56

$8.70 ฿279

17.59%

Cappuccino

$4.55 £3.36

$2.92 ฿93.7

55.82%

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

$2.38 £1.76

$0.68 ฿21.90

250.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.23

$0.40 ฿12.69

315.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 £4.50

$2.51 ฿80.3

142.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.18 £4.56

$3.80 ฿122

62.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 £1.22

$2.16 ฿69.2

-23.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 £1.17

$1.88 ฿60.3

-15.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 £1.70

$2.16 ฿69.1

6.94%

Eggs

$3.96 £2.93

$2.22 ฿71.1

78.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 £7.10

$19.57 ฿627

-50.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.77 £6.48

$3.80 ฿122

130.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.08 £10.41

$13.41 ฿430

5.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 £2.26

$3.26 ฿104

-6.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 £1.20

$1.61 ฿51.6

1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 £2.13

$2.31 ฿73.9

24.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 £2.57

$2.06 ฿65.9

68.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.61 ฿51.4

3.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 £1.08

$1.44 ฿46.23

2.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 £0.82

$1.03 ฿32.99

7.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 £1.07

$0.48 ฿15.38

202.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.32 £14.28

$4.50 ฿144

329.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 £7.92

$19.18 ฿614

-44.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 £2.02

$1.82 ฿58.4

50.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 £2.29

$2.69 ฿86.2

15.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.46 £2.56

$1.38 ฿44.13

150.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.8 £65.6

$11.76 ฿377

654.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.28 £3.90

$3.11 ฿99.5

69.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 £1.16

$1.00 ฿32.16

58.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.19 £17.14

$13.74 ฿440

68.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.38

$1.30 ฿41.58

43.85%

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

$38.0K £28.1K

$27.4K ฿876.5K

38.82%

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

$41.1K £30.4K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

24.44%

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

$301 £222

$125 ฿4,001

140.70%

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

$16.92 £12.50

$13.74 ฿440

23.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.68 £32.28

$18.61 ฿596

134.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 £33.94

$60.6 ฿1,940

-24.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 ฿549

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 £10.08

$9.01 ฿289

51.39%

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

$1,574 £1,163

$698 ฿22.4K

125.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K £13.3K

$16.1K ฿516.2K

11.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.0 £61.3

$59.2 ฿1,897

40.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.87 £32.42

$34.86 ฿1,117

25.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 £68.8

$114 ฿3,659

-18.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 £73.9

$85.8 ฿2,749

16.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 £912

$619 ฿19.8K

99.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 £738

$437 ฿14.0K

128.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,032 £1,501

$2,075 ฿66.5K

-2.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 £1,259

$1,509 ฿48.4K

12.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,180 £1,611

$3,764 ฿120.6K

-42.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,026 £1,497

$2,694 ฿86.3K

-24.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,375 £1,016

$528 ฿16.9K

160.18%

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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,234 in Retford and $619 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Retford pays 160% 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 in Retford vs $47 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $292 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 85% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Retford pays 160% 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: $1,234 in Retford versus $619 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,574 in Retford versus $698 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Retford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,247 in Phuket versus $2,301 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 85% less than in Retford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.