Cost of Living Comparison Between Southampton and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Southampton and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,737 in Southampton versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,910 in Southampton versus $2,054 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,084 in Southampton versus $2,876 in Phuket.

Living in Southampton is roughly 122% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Southampton is 100% above, Phuket is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.75 £19.99

$4.41 ฿147

506.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.9 £69.4

$32.26 ฿1,077

187.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.09 £9.03

$8.93 ฿298

35.39%

Cappuccino

$5.19 £3.88

$2.90 ฿96.6

78.97%

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

$3.23 £2.41

$0.88 ฿29.38

267.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 £1.66

$0.48 ฿16.06

362.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 £5.81

$2.35 ฿78.5

231.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.90

$3.72 ฿124

76.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.87 ฿62.3

3.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.30

$1.47 ฿48.94

18.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 £2.22

$1.55 ฿51.8

92.26%

Eggs

$4.40 £3.29

$2.10 ฿70.1

109.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 £7.47

$19.59 ฿654

-48.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 £7.40

$3.42 ฿114

189.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 £10.92

$11.38 ฿380

28.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 £2.16

$2.98 ฿99.6

-3.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.68 ฿56.2

2.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 £2.18

$2.21 ฿73.7

32.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 £2.60

$2.16 ฿72.1

60.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 £1.38

$1.52 ฿50.9

21.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.34 ฿44.67

14.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.13 ฿37.67

8.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.31

$0.55 ฿18.24

220.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.62 £16.15

$4.26 ฿142

407.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 £8.35

$19.09 ฿637

-41.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 £2.19

$1.78 ฿59.4

64.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 £2.65

$2.78 ฿92.9

27.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 £2.28

$2.23 ฿74.4

36.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.9 £64.9

$22.74 ฿759

282.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.35 £3.25

$3.03 ฿101

43.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.02 ฿34.15

101.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.00 £23.92

$3.89 ฿130

722.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 £1.53

$1.49 ฿49.77

37.58%

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

$39.2K £29.3K

$26.6K ฿887.3K

47.59%

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

$40.5K £30.3K

$27.0K ฿902.2K

49.96%

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

$332 £248

$102 ฿3,420

224.36%

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

$29.49 £22.03

$11.33 ฿378

160.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 £40.61

$17.40 ฿581

212.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.18 £32.27

$52.1 ฿1,738

-17.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.77 £12.53

$11.07 ฿370

51.49%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 £12.21

$7.69 ฿257

112.35%

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

$1,631 £1,219

$561 ฿18.7K

190.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K £13.8K

$11.5K ฿384.1K

60.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 £77.8

$63.0 ฿2,104

65.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.7 £39.41

$29.52 ฿986

78.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.5

$98.0 ฿3,272

4.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 £99.2

$88.5 ฿2,954

49.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 £1,136

$738 ฿24.6K

105.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 £908

$482 ฿16.1K

152.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,491 £1,861

$2,107 ฿70.3K

18.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 £1,468

$1,226 ฿40.9K

60.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,864 £4,382

$3,617 ฿120.7K

62.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,558 £4,153

$2,603 ฿86.9K

113.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,330 £2,488

$494 ฿16.5K

574.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

5.57

-10.95%

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

Last update for Southampton: September 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,521 in Southampton and $738 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Southampton pays 575% 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: $93.0 in Southampton vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $274 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

Southampton vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 122% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 575% higher in Southampton, 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: $1,521 in Southampton versus $738 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,631 in Southampton versus $561 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Southampton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $2,737 in Southampton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Southampton. 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 Southampton, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Southampton 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 122% less than in Southampton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.