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: $1,876 in Sunderland versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,794 in Sunderland versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Sunderland versus $3,317 in Phuket.

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Sunderland is 40% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.26 £15.08

$4.55 ฿153

345.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.8 £60.9

$46.18 ฿1,553

77.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 £7.64

$8.84 ฿297

16.18%

Cappuccino

$4.90 £3.65

$3.06 ฿103

60.13%

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

$2.37 £1.77

$0.73 ฿24.40

224.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.16

$0.40 ฿13.39

290.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 £4.98

$2.43 ฿81.8

175.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 £4.12

$3.78 ฿127

46.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 £1.20

$2.26 ฿76.0

-28.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.81 ฿60.9

-9.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 £1.65

$2.25 ฿75.8

-1.33%

Eggs

$3.59 £2.67

$2.25 ฿75.5

59.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 £7.76

$19.51 ฿656

-46.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 £6.90

$3.65 ฿123

153.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.27 £11.37

$13.05 ฿439

17.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 £2.70

$3.23 ฿109

12.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.62 ฿54.4

19.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 £2.02

$2.38 ฿80.1

13.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 £2.86

$2.03 ฿68.1

89.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 £1.46

$1.53 ฿51.6

28.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.50 ฿50.5

7.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 £1.00

$0.98 ฿32.91

36.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 £1.43

$0.52 ฿17.39

269.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.42 £13.72

$4.44 ฿149

314.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 £7.98

$18.32 ฿616

-41.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 £2.10

$1.86 ฿62.7

51.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.22

$2.68 ฿90.1

11.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.38

$1.41 ฿47.46

126.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.2 £56.7

$11.70 ฿393

551.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.23 £4.64

$3.11 ฿105

100.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 £1.04

$1.04 ฿35.06

34.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.27 £12.11

$14.11 ฿474

15.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.31 ฿44.10

45.80%

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

$38.4K £28.6K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

37.89%

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

$42.5K £31.6K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

27.89%

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

$291 £216

$122 ฿4,118

137.28%

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

$17.23 £12.83

$13.59 ฿457

26.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.77 £32.59

$18.70 ฿629

134.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.26 £31.46

$60.5 ฿2,034

-30.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.37 £9.21

$16.98 ฿571

-27.15%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 £9.43

$9.07 ฿305

39.58%

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

$1,261 £939

$706 ฿23.8K

78.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,675 £4,969

$15.8K ฿531.5K

-57.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.0 £61.0

$58.6 ฿1,969

39.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.87 £32.66

$35.36 ฿1,189

24.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 £62.9

$115 ฿3,883

-26.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 £60.7

$83.7 ฿2,816

-2.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$794 £591

$626 ฿21.0K

26.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 £458

$445 ฿15.0K

38.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 £1,010

$2,040 ฿68.6K

-33.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 £734

$1,492 ฿50.2K

-33.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,993 £2,973

$3,483 ฿117.1K

14.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,146 £1,598

$2,577 ฿86.7K

-16.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,642 £2,711

$500 ฿16.8K

628.62%

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: July 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $794 in Sunderland and $626 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: $82.0 in Sunderland vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 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

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.

Average pay runs 629% higher in Sunderland, 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: $794 in Sunderland versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,261 in Sunderland 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 Sunderland. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,876 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.