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: $2,038 in Scarborough versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,899 in Scarborough versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,759 in Scarborough versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Scarborough is roughly 61% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Scarborough is 52% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 £10.81

$4.70 ฿153

208.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 £51.9

$45.37 ฿1,482

53.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 £7.38

$8.43 ฿275

17.44%

Cappuccino

$4.43 £3.30

$2.93 ฿95.6

51.19%

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

$2.15 £1.60

$0.69 ฿22.40

211.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 £0.74

$0.37 ฿11.99

167.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 £4.23

$2.41 ฿78.6

135.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 £3.57

$3.72 ฿122

29.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 £1.09

$2.23 ฿72.9

-34.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.83 ฿59.8

-10.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 £1.87

$2.17 ฿70.8

15.67%

Eggs

$3.62 £2.70

$2.21 ฿72.3

63.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 £6.79

$19.74 ฿645

-53.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.26 £6.16

$3.63 ฿119

127.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.70 £7.23

$13.53 ฿442

-28.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 £2.52

$3.28 ฿107

3.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 £1.07

$1.61 ฿52.6

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$2.41 ฿78.6

-40.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 £1.65

$2.08 ฿68.1

6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 £0.85

$1.53 ฿49.93

-25.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.48 ฿48.36

6.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 £0.74

$0.99 ฿32.29

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.30

$0.51 ฿16.67

241.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.49 £8.56

$4.41 ฿144

160.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.63 £7.18

$19.38 ฿633

-50.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 £2.09

$1.78 ฿58.1

57.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 £1.98

$2.71 ฿88.6

-1.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 £2.30

$1.37 ฿44.79

124.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 £69.8

$11.39 ฿372

723.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 £3.34

$3.02 ฿98.6

48.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 £0.85

$0.99 ฿32.48

15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.07 £11.98

$14.10 ฿461

13.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.40

$1.36 ฿44.51

38.24%

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

$36.5K £27.2K

$28.2K ฿921.1K

29.60%

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

$38.6K £28.8K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

17.39%

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

$272 £203

$122 ฿3,975

123.38%

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

$15.99 £11.91

$13.57 ฿443

17.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.64 £25.81

$18.31 ฿598

89.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.50 £24.95

$60.2 ฿1,967

-44.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.90 £9.61

$17.14 ฿560

-24.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.00 £8.19

$8.69 ฿284

26.58%

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

$1,704 £1,269

$693 ฿22.6K

145.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K £13.6K

$15.7K ฿512.3K

16.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 £51.8

$59.5 ฿1,944

16.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.18 £27.70

$34.77 ฿1,136

6.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 £81.2

$115 ฿3,743

-4.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 £65.0

$83.3 ฿2,720

4.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 £650

$613 ฿20.0K

42.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 £638

$437 ฿14.3K

95.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 £1,176

$2,094 ฿68.4K

-24.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 £894

$1,509 ฿49.3K

-20.53%

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)

$2,075 £1,546

$508 ฿16.6K

308.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.45

5.33

2.25%

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

Last update for Scarborough: May 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $872 in Scarborough and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scarborough pays 308% 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: $70.0 in Scarborough vs $45.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $293, with Scarborough cheaper for home cooking.

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 Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Scarborough pays 308% 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: $872 in Scarborough versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,704 in Scarborough versus $693 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Scarborough pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,038 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 61% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.