Cost of Living Comparison Between Romford and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Romford and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,834 in Romford versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,407 in Romford versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,981 in Romford versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Romford is roughly 124% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Romford is 111% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.67 £20.57

$4.70 ฿153

488.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £80.8

$45.37 ฿1,482

139.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 £7.66

$8.43 ฿275

22.30%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.42

$2.93 ฿95.6

57.34%

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

$2.18 £1.62

$0.69 ฿22.40

215.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.16

$0.37 ฿11.99

321.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.68 £6.45

$2.41 ฿78.6

260.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.90 £5.13

$3.72 ฿122

85.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 £1.35

$2.23 ฿72.9

-18.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 £1.53

$1.83 ฿59.8

12.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.84

$2.17 ฿70.8

13.82%

Eggs

$5.01 £3.72

$2.21 ฿72.3

126.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 £8.39

$19.74 ฿645

-42.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.90 £6.62

$3.63 ฿119

145.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 £10.93

$13.53 ฿442

8.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 £2.35

$3.28 ฿107

-3.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.61 ฿52.6

20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 £2.45

$2.41 ฿78.6

36.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 £2.62

$2.08 ฿68.1

69.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 £1.30

$1.53 ฿49.93

14.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.48 ฿48.36

37.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.88

$0.99 ฿32.29

19.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 £1.19

$0.51 ฿16.67

213.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.72 £15.40

$4.41 ฿144

369.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 £10.14

$19.38 ฿633

-29.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 £2.07

$1.78 ฿58.1

56.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 £2.17

$2.71 ฿88.6

7.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 £2.75

$1.37 ฿44.79

169.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$276 £205

$11.39 ฿372

2325.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 £3.31

$3.02 ฿98.6

47.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 £1.58

$0.99 ฿32.48

114.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.15 £30.59

$14.10 ฿461

191.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 £1.40

$1.36 ฿44.51

38.97%

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

$39.1K £29.1K

$28.2K ฿921.1K

38.69%

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

$39.3K £29.2K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

19.49%

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

$322 £239

$122 ฿3,975

164.26%

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

$19.69 £14.63

$13.57 ฿443

45.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.40 £31.51

$18.31 ฿598

131.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 £37.73

$60.2 ฿1,967

-15.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 £13.25

$8.69 ฿284

105.18%

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

$1,836 £1,365

$693 ฿22.6K

164.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K £14.4K

$15.7K ฿512.3K

23.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 £68.6

$59.5 ฿1,944

54.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.67 £31.72

$34.77 ฿1,136

22.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £80.1

$115 ฿3,743

-5.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.4 £66.5

$83.3 ฿2,720

7.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,873 £1,392

$613 ฿20.0K

205.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 £907

$437 ฿14.3K

179.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,334 £2,478

$2,094 ฿68.4K

59.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,342 £1,741

$1,509 ฿49.3K

55.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,873 £2,135

$508 ฿16.6K

465.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.05

5.33

-5.25%

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

Last update for Romford: May 30, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,873 in Romford and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Romford pays 465% 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 Romford vs $45.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $330 vs $293 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

Romford vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Getting Around, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment. The 124% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Romford pays 465% 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: $1,873 in Romford versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,836 in Romford versus $693 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Romford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,834 in Romford, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Romford. 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 Romford, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Romford 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 124% less than in Romford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.