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: $2,757 in Romford versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,239 in Romford versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,721 in Romford versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Romford is roughly 120% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Romford is 101% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.58 £18.19

$4.56 ฿150

439.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £79.6

$32.62 ฿1,073

229.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.80 £7.99

$8.90 ฿293

21.35%

Cappuccino

$4.80 £3.55

$2.80 ฿92.3

71.43%

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

$2.74 £2.02

$0.88 ฿28.96

211.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 £1.46

$0.49 ฿16.09

302.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.21 £6.08

$2.39 ฿78.6

243.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 £5.43

$3.71 ฿122

97.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.79 ฿58.8

8.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.33

$1.44 ฿47.43

24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 £1.99

$1.58 ฿52.1

70.25%

Eggs

$5.03 £3.72

$2.13 ฿70.0

136.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 £7.52

$19.92 ฿655

-49.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 £7.01

$3.43 ฿113

176.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.94 £11.79

$11.33 ฿373

40.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 £2.24

$2.95 ฿97.0

2.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 £1.07

$1.72 ฿56.6

-15.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 £2.55

$2.32 ฿76.5

48.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.50 £2.59

$2.08 ฿68.5

68.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.47 ฿48.37

12.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 £1.40

$1.36 ฿44.68

38.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.95

$1.10 ฿36.15

16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 £1.37

$0.57 ฿18.90

226.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.32 £17.99

$4.27 ฿140

469.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 £9.96

$18.42 ฿606

-26.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 £2.45

$1.87 ฿61.6

77.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 £3.14

$2.92 ฿96.1

45.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.86 £3.59

$2.22 ฿73.0

118.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.1 £71.8

$22.90 ฿753

323.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 £4.20

$3.03 ฿99.7

87.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.81 £2.08

$1.07 ฿35.34

162.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.77 £18.32

$3.93 ฿129

530.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.58

$1.49 ฿49.09

42.95%

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

$39.7K £29.4K

$27.1K ฿892.5K

46.29%

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

$40.9K £30.3K

$27.5K ฿903.2K

49.12%

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

$372 £275

$103 ฿3,382

261.53%

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

$18.84 £13.94

$10.99 ฿362

71.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.78 £33.87

$17.51 ฿576

161.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 £37.88

$53.5 ฿1,761

-4.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$17.47 £12.92

$7.48 ฿246

133.56%

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

$2,653 £1,962

$557 ฿18.3K

376.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K £22.6K

$11.9K ฿390.0K

157.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.4 £69.1

$64.1 ฿2,108

45.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.71 £35.30

$29.07 ฿957

64.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 £69.5

$96.0 ฿3,157

-2.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 £97.9

$90.3 ฿2,972

46.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,912 £1,415

$730 ฿24.0K

161.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 £898

$500 ฿16.4K

142.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,426 £2,535

$2,090 ฿68.8K

63.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 £1,711

$1,209 ฿39.8K

91.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,231 £3,870

$3,596 ฿118.3K

45.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,479 £2,574

$2,512 ฿82.7K

38.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,847 £2,106

$503 ฿16.6K

465.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Romford: September 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,912 in Romford and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Romford pays 466% 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: $108 in Romford vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $273 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, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Sport & Entertainment. The 120% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 466% higher in Romford, 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: $1,912 in Romford versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,653 in Romford versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Romford. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,757 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 120% less than in Romford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.