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: $1,840 in Stockton-on-Tees versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,693 in Stockton-on-Tees versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,546 in Stockton-on-Tees versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Stockton-on-Tees is roughly 47% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Stockton-on-Tees is 38% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.00 £14.89

$4.55 ฿153

339.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.5 £61.4

$46.18 ฿1,553

78.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 £7.25

$8.84 ฿297

10.18%

Cappuccino

$4.70 £3.50

$3.06 ฿103

53.59%

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

$1.98 £1.48

$0.73 ฿24.40

171.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.16

$0.40 ฿13.39

290.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 £4.94

$2.43 ฿81.8

173.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 £4.12

$3.78 ฿127

46.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 £1.17

$2.26 ฿76.0

-30.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.81 ฿60.9

-5.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.88 £2.89

$2.25 ฿75.8

72.44%

Eggs

$3.98 £2.96

$2.25 ฿75.5

76.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 £7.97

$19.51 ฿656

-45.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.17 £6.09

$3.65 ฿123

123.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.13 £12.76

$13.05 ฿439

31.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 £2.57

$3.23 ฿109

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 £1.45

$1.62 ฿54.4

19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 £2.40

$2.38 ฿80.1

35.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 £2.74

$2.03 ฿68.1

81.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.53 ฿51.6

13.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 £1.49

$1.50 ฿50.5

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 £1.07

$0.98 ฿32.91

45.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.35

$0.52 ฿17.39

248.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.08 £13.46

$4.44 ฿149

307.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.11 £6.04

$18.32 ฿616

-55.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 £2.05

$1.86 ฿62.7

48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.44

$2.68 ฿90.1

-27.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 £2.53

$1.41 ฿47.46

141.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.3 £65.7

$11.70 ฿393

654.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 £4.85

$3.11 ฿105

109.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 £0.77

$1.04 ฿35.06

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.38 £12.20

$14.11 ฿474

16.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.31 ฿44.10

44.27%

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

$32.2K £24.0K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

15.89%

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

$33.9K £25.2K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

1.98%

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

$293 £218

$122 ฿4,118

139.66%

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

$16.81 £12.52

$13.59 ฿457

23.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.11

$18.70 ฿629

116.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 £45.50

$60.5 ฿2,034

1.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

Cinema Ticket

$12.93 £9.63

$9.07 ฿305

42.56%

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

$1,564 £1,164

$706 ฿23.8K

121.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,870 £5,115

$15.8K ฿531.5K

-56.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.7 £60.9

$58.6 ฿1,969

39.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.25 £32.95

$35.36 ฿1,189

25.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 £65.1

$115 ฿3,883

-24.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 £53.4

$83.7 ฿2,816

-14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 £454

$626 ฿21.0K

-2.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 £379

$445 ฿15.0K

14.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 £598

$2,040 ฿68.6K

-60.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 £531

$1,492 ฿50.2K

-52.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,663 £1,983

$500 ฿16.8K

432.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.6

5.33

5.07%

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

Last update for Stockton-on-Tees: July 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $610 in Stockton-on-Tees and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockton-on-Tees pays 433% 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: $82.0 in Stockton-on-Tees vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 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

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

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Getting Around, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 433% 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: $610 in Stockton-on-Tees versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,564 in Stockton-on-Tees 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 10% higher in Stockton-on-Tees. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,840 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 47% less than in Stockton-on-Tees. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.