Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunderland and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunderland and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,893 in Sunderland versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,843 in Sunderland versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,793 in Sunderland versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Sunderland is roughly 50% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sunderland is 41% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.50 £15.27

$4.70 ฿153

336.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.4 £59.9

$45.37 ฿1,482

77.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 £7.51

$8.43 ฿275

19.57%

Cappuccino

$4.95 £3.69

$2.93 ฿95.6

68.94%

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

$2.30 £1.71

$0.69 ฿22.40

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 £1.20

$0.37 ฿11.99

335.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.61 £4.92

$2.41 ฿78.6

174.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 £4.01

$3.72 ฿122

44.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.23 ฿72.9

-27.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.83 ฿59.8

-6.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 £1.58

$2.17 ฿70.8

-2.30%

Eggs

$3.58 £2.67

$2.21 ฿72.3

61.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 £7.92

$19.74 ฿645

-46.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 £6.78

$3.63 ฿119

150.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.27 £11.37

$13.53 ฿442

12.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 £2.69

$3.28 ฿107

10.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.61 ฿52.6

26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 £2.02

$2.41 ฿78.6

12.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 £2.92

$2.08 ฿68.1

87.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 £1.46

$1.53 ฿49.93

28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 £1.19

$1.48 ฿48.36

7.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 £0.95

$0.99 ฿32.29

28.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 £1.43

$0.51 ฿16.67

276.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.10 £13.48

$4.41 ฿144

310.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.84 £8.08

$19.38 ฿633

-44.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 £2.09

$1.78 ฿58.1

57.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 £2.13

$2.71 ฿88.6

5.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.21 £2.39

$1.37 ฿44.79

134.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.1 £56.7

$11.39 ฿372

568.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.44 £4.80

$3.02 ฿98.6

113.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 £1.03

$0.99 ฿32.48

40.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 £12.26

$14.10 ฿461

16.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.46

$1.36 ฿44.51

44.12%

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

$38.6K £28.7K

$28.2K ฿921.1K

36.82%

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

$42.6K £31.8K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

29.60%

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

$294 £219

$122 ฿3,975

141.80%

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

$17.19 £12.81

$13.57 ฿443

26.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.37 £31.57

$18.31 ฿598

131.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.48 £31.65

$60.2 ฿1,967

-29.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.42 £9.25

$17.14 ฿560

-27.54%

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 £9.75

$8.69 ฿284

50.63%

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

$1,238 £922

$693 ฿22.6K

78.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,732 £5,015

$15.7K ฿512.3K

-57.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.0 £61.1

$59.5 ฿1,944

37.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.01 £32.04

$34.77 ฿1,136

23.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 £63.3

$115 ฿3,743

-25.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.4 £60.7

$83.3 ฿2,720

-2.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 £586

$613 ฿20.0K

28.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 £459

$437 ฿14.3K

40.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 £1,015

$2,094 ฿68.4K

-34.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 £747

$1,509 ฿49.3K

-33.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,015 £2,991

$3,749 ฿122.5K

7.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,146 £1,599

$2,616 ฿85.4K

-17.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,704 £2,760

$508 ฿16.6K

629.02%

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 Sunderland: June 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Sunderland and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sunderland pays 629% 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: $80.0 in Sunderland vs $45.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $293 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

Sunderland vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Sunderland pays 629% more on average, 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: $786 in Sunderland versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,238 in Sunderland versus $693 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Sunderland. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,893 in Sunderland, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sunderland. 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 Sunderland, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sunderland 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 50% less than in Sunderland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.