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: $1,921 in Sunderland versus $1,247 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,867 in Sunderland versus $2,276 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,812 in Sunderland versus $3,306 in Phuket.

Living in Sunderland is roughly 54% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sunderland is 43% above, Phuket is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.59 £15.25

$4.59 ฿147

348.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 £59.8

$46.83 ฿1,501

72.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 £7.70

$8.70 ฿279

19.43%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.54

$2.92 ฿93.7

63.70%

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

$2.37 £1.76

$0.68 ฿21.92

248.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.16

$0.40 ฿12.70

290.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.75 £5.00

$2.51 ฿80.4

168.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 £4.11

$3.80 ฿122

46.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 £1.19

$2.16 ฿69.3

-25.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 £1.23

$1.88 ฿60.3

-11.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 £1.59

$2.16 ฿69.2

-0.46%

Eggs

$3.51 £2.60

$2.22 ฿71.2

58.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 £7.68

$19.57 ฿627

-47.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.91 £6.61

$3.80 ฿122

134.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 £11.40

$13.41 ฿430

14.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 £2.64

$3.26 ฿104

9.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 £1.49

$1.61 ฿51.7

24.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 £1.99

$2.31 ฿74.0

16.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 £2.84

$2.06 ฿66.0

85.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.61 ฿51.5

20.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 £1.19

$1.44 ฿46.26

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 £0.95

$1.03 ฿33.01

24.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.36

$0.48 ฿15.39

281.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.58 £13.77

$4.50 ฿144

312.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 £8.05

$19.18 ฿615

-43.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 £2.01

$1.82 ฿58.4

48.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 £2.21

$2.69 ฿86.2

11.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 £2.28

$1.38 ฿44.16

123.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.4 £56.6

$11.76 ฿377

549.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.28 £4.65

$3.11 ฿99.6

101.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 £1.04

$1.00 ฿32.18

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 £11.96

$13.74 ฿441

17.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.30 ฿41.61

49.23%

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

$37.8K £28.0K

$27.4K ฿877.0K

38.24%

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

$43.0K £31.8K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

30.11%

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

$294 £218

$125 ฿4,004

135.15%

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

$16.82 £12.47

$13.74 ฿440

22.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.33 £31.37

$18.61 ฿597

127.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.83 £31.73

$60.6 ฿1,941

-29.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.47 £9.24

$17.15 ฿550

-27.29%

Cinema Ticket

$13.11 £9.71

$9.01 ฿289

45.50%

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

$1,276 £946

$698 ฿22.4K

82.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,922 £5,129

$16.1K ฿516.5K

-57.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.7 £59.1

$59.2 ฿1,898

34.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.90 £31.79

$34.86 ฿1,118

23.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 £63.7

$114 ฿3,662

-24.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 £61.7

$85.8 ฿2,751

-3.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$800 £593

$619 ฿19.8K

29.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$599 £444

$437 ฿14.0K

37.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 £1,007

$2,075 ฿66.5K

-34.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 £730

$1,509 ฿48.4K

-34.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,084 £3,026

$3,764 ฿120.7K

8.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,164 £1,604

$2,694 ฿86.4K

-19.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,629 £2,689

$528 ฿16.9K

586.78%

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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $800 in Sunderland and $619 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sunderland pays 587% 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 in Sunderland vs $47 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $292 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 54% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Sunderland pays 587% 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: $800 in Sunderland versus $619 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,276 in Sunderland versus $698 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Sunderland. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,247 in Phuket versus $1,921 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 54% less than in Sunderland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.