Cost of Living Comparison Between St Helens and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between St Helens and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,017 in St Helens versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,087 in St Helens versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,157 in St Helens versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in St Helens is roughly 61% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: St Helens is 51% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.14 £15.00

$4.55 ฿153

342.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 £60.6

$46.18 ฿1,553

76.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 £8.25

$8.84 ฿297

25.34%

Cappuccino

$3.67 £2.73

$3.06 ฿103

19.93%

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

$2.80 £2.08

$0.73 ฿24.40

283.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 £1.49

$0.40 ฿13.39

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.00 £2.98

$2.43 ฿81.8

64.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 £3.89

$3.78 ฿127

38.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 £1.03

$2.26 ฿76.0

-38.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.81 ฿60.9

4.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 £1.54

$2.25 ฿75.8

-8.00%

Eggs

$4.24 £3.16

$2.25 ฿75.5

88.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 £9.15

$19.51 ฿656

-36.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.62 £6.41

$3.65 ฿123

136.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.68 £7.95

$13.05 ฿439

-18.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 £2.38

$3.23 ฿109

-1.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.62 ฿54.4

-14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 £2.77

$2.38 ฿80.1

56.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.74

$2.03 ฿68.1

81.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 £1.40

$1.53 ฿51.6

22.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 £1.56

$1.50 ฿50.5

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 £1.00

$0.98 ฿32.91

37.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 £1.03

$0.52 ฿17.39

165.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.37 £15.16

$4.44 ฿149

358.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 £8.35

$18.32 ฿616

-38.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 £2.04

$1.86 ฿62.7

47.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.02

$2.68 ฿90.1

1.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 £2.09

$1.41 ฿47.46

99.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £76.5

$11.70 ฿393

778.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 £2.57

$3.11 ฿105

10.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.04 ฿35.06

83.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.58 £12.35

$14.11 ฿474

17.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 £1.45

$1.31 ฿44.10

48.85%

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

$26.8K £19.9K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

-3.67%

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

$33.8K £25.1K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

1.67%

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

$342 £254

$122 ฿4,118

178.97%

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

$15.62 £11.63

$13.59 ฿457

14.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.86 £29.68

$18.70 ฿629

113.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.77 £19.93

$60.5 ฿2,034

-55.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.19 £3.12

$16.98 ฿571

-75.32%

Cinema Ticket

$16.34 £12.16

$9.07 ฿305

80.15%

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

$815 £607

$706 ฿23.8K

15.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,885 £5,126

$15.8K ฿531.5K

-56.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 £50.4

$58.6 ฿1,969

15.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 £40.83

$35.36 ฿1,189

55.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 £64.3

$115 ฿3,883

-25.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 £89.7

$83.7 ฿2,816

43.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 £617

$626 ฿21.0K

32.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 £495

$445 ฿15.0K

49.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 £1,148

$2,040 ฿68.6K

-24.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 £974

$1,492 ฿50.2K

-12.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,297 £3,944

$3,483 ฿117.1K

52.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,331 £1,736

$2,577 ฿86.7K

-9.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,546 £1,896

$500 ฿16.8K

409.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.33

3.94%

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

Last update for St Helens: July 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $828 in St Helens and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St Helens pays 409% 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 Helens vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 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 Helens 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 61% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 409% higher in St Helens, 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: $828 in St Helens versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in St Helens 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 4% higher in St Helens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,017 in St Helens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in St Helens. 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 Helens, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, St Helens 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 61% less than in St Helens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.