Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Andrews and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Andrews and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,131 in St. Andrews versus $1,247 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,942 in St. Andrews versus $2,276 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,754 in St. Andrews versus $3,306 in Phuket.

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

The two cities straddle the global median: St. Andrews is 58% above, Phuket is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.67 £16.06

$4.59 ฿147

372.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 £60.2

$46.83 ฿1,501

73.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.00 £7.41

$8.70 ฿279

14.94%

Cappuccino

$4.39 £3.25

$2.92 ฿93.7

50.34%

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

$2.12 £1.57

$0.68 ฿21.92

211.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 £1.01

$0.40 ฿12.70

240.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 £4.28

$2.51 ฿80.4

129.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 £4.48

$3.80 ฿122

59.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.25

$2.16 ฿69.3

-21.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.88 ฿60.3

-18.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 £1.37

$2.16 ฿69.2

-14.35%

Eggs

$4.01 £2.97

$2.22 ฿71.2

80.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 £6.04

$19.57 ฿627

-58.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.86 £7.30

$3.80 ฿122

159.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 £10.22

$13.41 ฿430

2.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 £2.40

$3.26 ฿104

-0.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.32 £1.72

$1.61 ฿51.7

44.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 £2.00

$2.31 ฿74.0

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 £3.03

$2.06 ฿66.0

98.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 £1.62

$1.61 ฿51.5

36.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 £1.45

$1.44 ฿46.26

35.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.92

$1.03 ฿33.01

20.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.56

$0.48 ฿15.39

337.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.32 £14.31

$4.50 ฿144

329.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.35 £8.41

$19.18 ฿615

-40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 £1.60

$1.82 ฿58.4

18.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 £1.71

$2.69 ฿86.2

-14.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.01

$1.38 ฿44.16

194.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.0 £58.5

$11.76 ฿377

571.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 £3.48

$3.11 ฿99.6

50.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 £1.04

$1.00 ฿32.18

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.59 £25.63

$13.74 ฿441

151.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.30 ฿41.61

49.23%

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

$38.5K £28.5K

$27.4K ฿877.0K

40.67%

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

$42.1K £31.2K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

27.49%

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

$232 £172

$125 ฿4,004

86.16%

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

$14.07 £10.43

$13.74 ฿440

2.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.77 £33.17

$18.61 ฿597

140.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 £31.36

$60.6 ฿1,941

-30.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.47 £15.17

$17.15 ฿550

19.36%

Cinema Ticket

$12.47 £9.24

$9.01 ฿289

38.40%

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

$1,628 £1,207

$698 ฿22.4K

133.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K £11.1K

$16.1K ฿516.5K

-6.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 £62.3

$59.2 ฿1,898

42.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.61 £30.10

$34.86 ฿1,118

16.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 £69.2

$114 ฿3,662

-18.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 £89.4

$85.8 ฿2,751

40.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 £918

$619 ฿19.8K

100.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$870 £645

$437 ฿14.0K

99.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 £2,020

$2,075 ฿66.5K

31.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,831 £2,098

$1,509 ฿48.4K

87.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,258 £4,637

$3,764 ฿120.7K

66.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,754 £2,041

$2,694 ฿86.4K

2.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,351 £2,483

$528 ฿16.9K

534.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.33

10.69%

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

Last update for St. Andrews: April 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,239 in St. Andrews and $619 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Andrews pays 534% 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 in St. Andrews vs $47 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $292 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

St. Andrews vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

St. Andrews pays 534% 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: $1,239 in St. Andrews versus $619 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,628 in St. Andrews versus $698 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in St. Andrews. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,247 in Phuket versus $2,131 in St. Andrews, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in St. Andrews. 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 St. Andrews, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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