Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,143 in Scarborough versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,019 in Scarborough versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,895 in Scarborough versus $2,833 in Phuket.

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Scarborough is 56% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.37 £11.37

$4.56 ฿150

237.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 £52.4

$32.62 ฿1,072

117.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 £7.94

$8.90 ฿293

20.56%

Cappuccino

$3.63 £2.69

$2.80 ฿92.2

29.64%

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

$2.07 £1.54

$0.88 ฿28.93

135.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 £0.73

$0.49 ฿16.08

102.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 £3.23

$2.39 ฿78.5

82.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 £3.16

$3.71 ฿122

15.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 £0.97

$1.79 ฿58.7

-26.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 £1.08

$1.44 ฿47.38

0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 £0.79

$1.58 ฿52.1

-32.91%

Eggs

$3.79 £2.80

$2.13 ฿69.9

77.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.99 £5.91

$19.92 ฿655

-59.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.19 £5.32

$3.43 ฿113

109.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 £10.35

$11.33 ฿372

23.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 £2.49

$2.95 ฿96.9

14.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 £1.58

$1.72 ฿56.6

23.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 £2.01

$2.32 ฿76.4

17.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 £1.58

$2.08 ฿68.4

2.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 £1.31

$1.47 ฿48.33

20.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.19

$1.36 ฿44.64

18.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 £0.86

$1.10 ฿36.12

6.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.45

$0.57 ฿18.89

242.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.75 £16.83

$4.27 ฿140

432.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.43 £6.98

$18.42 ฿605

-48.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.67 £2.71

$1.87 ฿61.5

96.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 £2.68

$2.92 ฿96.0

24.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 £2.55

$2.22 ฿72.9

55.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 £66.2

$22.90 ฿753

290.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.75 £4.25

$3.03 ฿99.6

89.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.99 £3.69

$1.07 ฿35.31

366.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.03 £25.18

$3.93 ฿129

765.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.45

$1.49 ฿49.04

31.54%

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

$36.5K £27.0K

$27.1K ฿891.7K

34.71%

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

$40.4K £29.9K

$27.5K ฿902.3K

47.05%

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

$353 £261

$103 ฿3,379

243.59%

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

$25.91 £19.17

$10.99 ฿361

135.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.04 £25.18

$17.51 ฿576

94.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.1 £49.65

$53.5 ฿1,760

25.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.91 £9.55

$11.20 ฿368

15.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.88 £8.05

$7.48 ฿246

45.45%

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

$1,720 £1,273

$557 ฿18.3K

208.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ฿389.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.3 £51.2

$64.1 ฿2,106

8.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 £26.38

$29.07 ฿956

22.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 £81.1

$96.0 ฿3,154

14.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 £95.7

$90.3 ฿2,970

43.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 £660

$730 ฿24.0K

22.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$832 £616

$500 ฿16.4K

66.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 £1,126

$2,090 ฿68.7K

-27.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,224 £905

$1,209 ฿39.7K

1.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,596 ฿118.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,512 ฿82.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,072 £1,533

$503 ฿16.5K

311.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

5.57

-0.72%

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

Last update for Scarborough: August 30, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $892 in Scarborough and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scarborough pays 312% 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: $71.0 in Scarborough vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $281 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

Scarborough vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Sport & Entertainment. The 71% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 312% higher in Scarborough, 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: $892 in Scarborough versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,720 in Scarborough 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 3% higher in Scarborough. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,143 in Scarborough, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Scarborough. 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 Scarborough, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Scarborough 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 Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.