Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockton-on-Tees and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockton-on-Tees and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,706 in Stockton-on-Tees versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,462 in Stockton-on-Tees versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,217 in Stockton-on-Tees versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Stockton-on-Tees is roughly 36% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Stockton-on-Tees is 24% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.60 £10.06

$4.56 ฿150

198.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.8 £52.3

$32.62 ฿1,072

116.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 £8.12

$8.90 ฿293

23.26%

Cappuccino

$3.66 £2.71

$2.80 ฿92.2

30.71%

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

$2.28 £1.69

$0.88 ฿28.93

159.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 £1.46

$0.49 ฿16.08

304.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 £3.32

$2.39 ฿78.5

87.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 £3.22

$3.71 ฿122

17.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 £0.94

$1.79 ฿58.7

-29.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 £0.75

$1.44 ฿47.38

-29.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 £1.06

$1.58 ฿52.1

-9.49%

Eggs

$3.78 £2.80

$2.13 ฿69.9

77.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.80 £5.77

$19.92 ฿655

-60.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.49 £5.54

$3.43 ฿113

118.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 £10.68

$11.33 ฿372

27.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 £1.93

$2.95 ฿96.9

-11.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 £1.22

$1.72 ฿56.6

-4.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 £1.61

$2.32 ฿76.4

-6.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 £1.42

$2.08 ฿68.4

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 £1.33

$1.47 ฿48.33

22.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 £0.98

$1.36 ฿44.64

-2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.90

$1.10 ฿36.12

10.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 £1.19

$0.57 ฿18.89

182.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.83 £16.89

$4.27 ฿140

434.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.10 £5.99

$18.42 ฿605

-56.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 £2.32

$1.87 ฿61.5

67.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 £2.81

$2.92 ฿96.0

30.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 £3.04

$2.22 ฿72.9

85.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.2 £46.76

$22.90 ฿753

175.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 £3.16

$3.03 ฿99.6

41.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿35.31

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.55 £25.56

$3.93 ฿129

779.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.49 ฿49.04

32.21%

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

$38.5K £28.5K

$27.1K ฿891.7K

41.79%

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

$42.0K £31.1K

$27.5K ฿902.3K

52.95%

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

$355 £262

$103 ฿3,379

244.98%

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

$25.52 £18.88

$10.99 ฿361

132.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.59 £30.77

$17.51 ฿576

137.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 ฿1,760

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$17.90 £13.24

$7.48 ฿246

139.30%

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

$824 £610

$557 ฿18.3K

47.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ฿389.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 £83.4

$64.1 ฿2,106

76.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 £42.33

$29.07 ฿956

96.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 £86.5

$96.0 ฿3,154

21.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 £97.0

$90.3 ฿2,970

45.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$609 £450

$730 ฿24.0K

-16.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 £377

$500 ฿16.4K

1.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 £594

$2,090 ฿68.7K

-61.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 £531

$1,209 ฿39.7K

-40.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,596 ฿118.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,512 ฿82.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,030 £1,502

$503 ฿16.5K

303.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

5.57

-0.72%

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

Last update for Stockton-on-Tees: August 30, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $609 in Stockton-on-Tees and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockton-on-Tees pays 303% 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: $71.0 in Stockton-on-Tees vs $33.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $261 vs $273, with Stockton-on-Tees cheaper for home cooking.

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

Stockton-on-Tees vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 303% higher in Stockton-on-Tees, 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: $609 in Stockton-on-Tees versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $824 in Stockton-on-Tees versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Stockton-on-Tees pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $1,706 in Stockton-on-Tees, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Stockton-on-Tees. 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 Stockton-on-Tees, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Stockton-on-Tees 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 36% less than in Stockton-on-Tees. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.