Cost of Living Comparison Between Solihull and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Solihull and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,330 in Solihull versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,492 in Solihull versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,654 in Solihull versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Solihull is roughly 84% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Solihull is 74% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.20 £15.05

$4.70 ฿153

329.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 £59.0

$45.37 ฿1,482

74.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 £7.73

$8.43 ฿275

23.13%

Cappuccino

$4.60 £3.43

$2.93 ฿95.6

57.00%

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

$2.36 £1.76

$0.69 ฿22.40

242.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.36

$0.37 ฿11.99

394.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 £5.20

$2.41 ฿78.6

189.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 £4.60

$3.72 ฿122

65.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 £1.29

$2.23 ฿72.9

-22.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.83 ฿59.8

-8.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 £1.91

$2.17 ฿70.8

17.97%

Eggs

$5.46 £4.07

$2.21 ฿72.3

147.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 £7.75

$19.74 ฿645

-47.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.57 £6.38

$3.63 ฿119

136.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 £10.42

$13.53 ฿442

3.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 £3.00

$3.28 ฿107

22.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.61 ฿52.6

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 £1.49

$2.41 ฿78.6

-17.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.68 £4.23

$2.08 ฿68.1

173.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.53 ฿49.93

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 £1.10

$1.48 ฿48.36

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 £1.00

$0.99 ฿32.29

35.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 £1.01

$0.51 ฿16.67

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.67 £13.91

$4.41 ฿144

323.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 £7.16

$19.38 ฿633

-50.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 £2.59

$1.78 ฿58.1

95.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 £3.06

$2.71 ฿88.6

51.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 £2.39

$1.37 ฿44.79

134.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.2 £67.2

$11.39 ฿372

691.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 £5.01

$3.02 ฿98.6

122.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 £1.02

$0.99 ฿32.48

38.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.07 £17.19

$14.10 ฿461

63.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.36 ฿44.51

41.91%

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

$38.9K £29.0K

$28.2K ฿921.1K

37.86%

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

$40.2K £29.9K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

22.09%

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

$299 £222

$122 ฿3,975

145.28%

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

$18.66 £13.90

$13.57 ฿443

37.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.69 £35.53

$18.31 ฿598

160.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 £40.14

$60.2 ฿1,967

-10.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

Cinema Ticket

$15.03 £11.20

$8.69 ฿284

72.96%

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

$1,679 £1,251

$693 ฿22.6K

142.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K £14.3K

$15.7K ฿512.3K

22.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.4 £68.8

$59.5 ฿1,944

55.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.64 £36.24

$34.77 ฿1,136

39.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 £88.9

$115 ฿3,743

4.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 £88.2

$83.3 ฿2,720

42.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 £921

$613 ฿20.0K

101.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 £756

$437 ฿14.3K

132.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,065 £1,538

$2,094 ฿68.4K

-1.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 £1,274

$1,509 ฿49.3K

13.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,581 £4,158

$3,749 ฿122.5K

48.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,718 £2,770

$2,616 ฿85.4K

42.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,735 £3,527

$508 ฿16.6K

831.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.74

5.33

7.69%

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

Last update for Solihull: May 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Solihull and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Solihull pays 832% 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: $79.0 in Solihull vs $45.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 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

Solihull 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 84% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Solihull pays 832% 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: $1,237 in Solihull versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,679 in Solihull 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 10% higher in Solihull. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,330 in Solihull, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Solihull. 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 Solihull, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Solihull 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 84% less than in Solihull. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.