Cost of Living Comparison Between Rugby and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Rugby and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,158 in Rugby versus $1,264 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,269 in Rugby versus $2,256 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,380 in Rugby versus $3,248 in Phuket.

Living in Rugby is roughly 71% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rugby is 62% above, Phuket is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.71 £15.49

$4.48 ฿150

362.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 £60.2

$45.59 ฿1,525

76.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.71 £7.26

$8.76 ฿293

10.84%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.58

$2.97 ฿99.3

60.94%

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

$1.97 £1.47

$0.69 ฿22.96

185.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 £1.00

$0.39 ฿13.07

241.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 £4.09

$2.53 ฿84.7

116.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.27 £4.69

$3.75 ฿125

67.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.15 ฿71.8

-25.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.82 ฿60.7

-12.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 £1.96

$2.18 ฿73.1

20.18%

Eggs

$3.60 £2.69

$2.25 ฿75.2

60.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.99 £8.22

$20.00 ฿669

-45.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 £6.05

$3.63 ฿121

122.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 £10.36

$13.56 ฿453

2.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 £1.97

$3.24 ฿109

-18.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 £1.30

$1.64 ฿54.7

6.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.33 ฿78.0

-12.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 £2.01

$2.07 ฿69.3

29.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.55 ฿51.8

10.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 £1.11

$1.46 ฿48.67

1.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 £0.83

$0.98 ฿32.94

13.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 £1.06

$0.48 ฿16.13

193.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.06 £12.76

$4.35 ฿146

292.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 £8.84

$18.57 ฿621

-36.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.52

$1.86 ฿62.1

81.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 £3.14

$2.65 ฿88.8

58.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.75 £2.06

$1.42 ฿47.40

93.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 £71.9

$11.57 ฿387

730.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 £3.43

$3.17 ฿106

44.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.03 ฿34.51

21.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.30 £18.18

$13.89 ฿465

74.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.34 ฿44.96

48.51%

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

$39.1K £29.3K

$27.8K ฿929.6K

40.81%

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

$40.7K £30.4K

$33.4K ฿1.1M

21.81%

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

$285 £213

$123 ฿4,116

131.43%

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

$23.80 £17.81

$13.77 ฿461

72.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.01 £32.92

$18.33 ฿613

140.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 £38.01

$60.7 ฿2,030

-16.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.73 £10.27

$17.16 ฿574

-19.99%

Cinema Ticket

$13.81 £10.33

$8.87 ฿297

55.69%

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

$1,408 £1,053

$688 ฿23.0K

104.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K £10.3K

$15.8K ฿527.8K

-12.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.0

$59.3 ฿1,984

91.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.20 £27.08

$34.69 ฿1,160

4.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 £86.7

$115 ฿3,853

0.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 £82.3

$83.8 ฿2,802

31.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 £615

$621 ฿20.8K

32.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$810 £606

$446 ฿14.9K

81.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,552 £1,161

$2,034 ฿68.0K

-23.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 £1,135

$1,496 ฿50.0K

1.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,064 £3,788

$3,455 ฿115.6K

46.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,273 £3,196

$2,531 ฿84.7K

68.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,275 £2,450

$494 ฿16.5K

563.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.76

5.33

8.07%

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

Last update for Rugby: July 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $822 in Rugby and $621 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rugby pays 563% 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 Rugby vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $291 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

Rugby 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 71% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 563% higher in Rugby, 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: $822 in Rugby versus $621 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,408 in Rugby versus $688 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 Rugby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,264 in Phuket versus $2,158 in Rugby, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rugby. 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 Rugby, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rugby 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 71% less than in Rugby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.