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: $2,155 in St. Andrews versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,937 in St. Andrews versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,719 in St. Andrews versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in St. Andrews is roughly 72% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: St. Andrews is 61% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.47 £15.98

$4.55 ฿153

371.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 £60.2

$46.18 ฿1,553

74.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 £7.62

$8.84 ฿297

15.72%

Cappuccino

$4.35 £3.24

$3.06 ฿103

42.16%

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

$2.09 £1.55

$0.73 ฿24.40

186.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 £1.02

$0.40 ฿13.39

242.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 £4.28

$2.43 ฿81.8

136.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.08 £4.52

$3.78 ฿127

60.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 £1.33

$2.26 ฿76.0

-20.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 £1.11

$1.81 ฿60.9

-17.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.39

$2.25 ฿75.8

-16.89%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.98

$2.25 ฿75.5

77.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.04 £5.99

$19.51 ฿656

-58.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 £7.09

$3.65 ฿123

160.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.48 £10.04

$13.05 ฿439

3.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 £2.34

$3.23 ฿109

-2.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 £1.77

$1.62 ฿54.4

46.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 £2.03

$2.38 ฿80.1

14.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 £3.14

$2.03 ฿68.1

107.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 £1.61

$1.53 ฿51.6

41.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 £1.46

$1.50 ฿50.5

30.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.95

$0.98 ฿32.91

30.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 £1.55

$0.52 ฿17.39

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.77 £13.97

$4.44 ฿149

322.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.08 £8.25

$18.32 ฿616

-39.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 £1.66

$1.86 ฿62.7

19.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.70

$2.68 ฿90.1

-14.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.97 £2.95

$1.41 ฿47.46

181.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.6 £60.0

$11.70 ฿393

589.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 £3.63

$3.11 ฿105

56.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.04 ฿35.06

33.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.02 £25.33

$14.11 ฿474

141.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.31 ฿44.10

45.80%

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

$38.9K £29.0K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

40.00%

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

$41.7K £31.1K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

25.65%

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

$235 £175

$122 ฿4,118

91.91%

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

$14.26 £10.62

$13.59 ฿457

4.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.90 £34.18

$18.70 ฿629

145.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.97 £31.99

$60.5 ฿2,034

-28.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.71 £15.42

$16.98 ฿571

21.97%

Cinema Ticket

$12.01 £8.94

$9.07 ฿305

32.41%

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

$1,583 £1,178

$706 ฿23.8K

124.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K £11.3K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

-3.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 £63.2

$58.6 ฿1,969

45.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.65 £31.01

$35.36 ฿1,189

17.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 £71.8

$115 ฿3,883

-16.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 £90.1

$83.7 ฿2,816

44.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 £918

$626 ฿21.0K

97.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 £647

$445 ฿15.0K

95.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,638 £1,964

$2,040 ฿68.6K

29.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 £2,162

$1,492 ฿50.2K

94.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,184 £4,604

$3,483 ฿117.1K

77.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,704 £2,013

$2,577 ฿86.7K

4.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 £2,478

$500 ฿16.8K

566.00%

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: July 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,234 in St. Andrews and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Andrews pays 566% 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: $81.0 in St. Andrews vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $309 vs $289 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 Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 566% 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: $1,234 in St. Andrews versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,583 in St. Andrews versus $706 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 $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,155 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 72% less than in St. Andrews. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.