Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Andrews and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,285 in St. Andrews, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
Learn more

St. Andrews Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,285

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St. Andrews and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in St. Andrews and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,285 in St. Andrews versus $1,208 in Phuket.

St. Andrews $2,285
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,891 in St. Andrews versus $2,027 in Phuket.

St. Andrews $3,891
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,496 in St. Andrews versus $2,845 in Phuket.

St. Andrews $5,496
Phuket $2,845

Living in St. Andrews is roughly 89% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: St. Andrews is 69% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.15 £15.87

$4.40 ฿147

380.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 £65.9

$32.26 ฿1,078

172.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 £7.89

$8.76 ฿293

19.98%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.46

$2.83 ฿94.5

62.90%

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

$2.84 £2.13

$0.90 ฿30.14

215.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.57

$0.47 ฿15.56

346.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 £5.07

$2.55 ฿85.2

165.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.07

$3.83 ฿128

76.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.73 ฿57.7

-12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.47 ฿49.11

16.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.51 ฿50.6

34.44%

Eggs

$4.49 £3.37

$2.17 ฿72.7

106.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 £5.53

$19.70 ฿658

-62.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 £7.24

$3.34 ฿112

188.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.56

$11.16 ฿373

38.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 £1.88

$2.85 ฿95.1

-12.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.70 ฿56.9

-21.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 £2.07

$2.19 ฿73.3

26.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 £2.15

$2.05 ฿68.4

39.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.45 ฿48.57

16.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.38 ฿46.16

10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.07 ฿35.69

12.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.85

$0.51 ฿16.91

382.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.57 £16.93

$4.26 ฿142

429.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 £8.15

$18.58 ฿621

-41.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 £2.03

$1.78 ฿59.7

51.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$2.85 ฿95.2

4.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.79 £3.59

$2.26 ฿75.6

111.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 £3.04

$3.01 ฿101

34.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 £1.83

$1.06 ฿35.34

130.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.73 £17.80

$3.86 ฿129

514.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.58

$1.45 ฿48.45

44.83%

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

$38.3K £28.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

45.52%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

52.84%

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

$243 £182

$96.4 ฿3,221

151.77%

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

$13.40 £10.06

$11.04 ฿369

21.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.64 £31.24

$17.14 ฿573

142.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.6 £68.7

$52.2 ฿1,744

75.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$13.06 £9.80

$7.81 ฿261

67.22%

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

$1,806 £1,355

$556 ฿18.6K

224.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K £17.1K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

96.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.6 £71.7

$64.2 ฿2,146

48.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.97 £36.74

$28.69 ฿959

70.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.8

$95.4 ฿3,187

8.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 £66.4

$88.0 ฿2,940

0.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 £1,025

$737 ฿24.6K

85.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 £792

$462 ฿15.5K

128.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,104 £2,329

$2,095 ฿70.0K

48.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,743 £2,058

$1,201 ฿40.1K

128.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,137 £4,604

$3,488 ฿116.6K

75.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,718 £2,039

$2,523 ฿84.3K

7.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,397 £2,548

$501 ฿16.7K

578.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

5.57

-2.87%

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

Last update for St. Andrews: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

St. Andrews

$1.1K 46.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 56.2% $593

Eating Out

St. Andrews

$323 14.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 62.5% $202

Groceries & Markets

St. Andrews

$304 13.3%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 11.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Andrews

$298 13%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 58.2% $173

Clothing & Footwear

St. Andrews

$152 6.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18% $27

Sport & Entertainment

St. Andrews

$118 5.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 42.4% $50

Getting Around

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 11.3% $4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,366 in St. Andrews and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Andrews pays 578% 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: $88.0 in St. Andrews vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

6 h ahead of St. Andrews

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,460

79,308

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. Andrews Phuket 9,960 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Andrews
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 578% higher in St. Andrews, 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: $1,366 in St. Andrews versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,806 in St. Andrews versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $88.0 in St. Andrews. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,285 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 89% less than in St. Andrews. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.