Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,346 in Surrey versus $1,261 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,035 in Surrey versus $2,286 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,724 in Surrey versus $3,310 in Phuket.

Living in Surrey is roughly 165% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surrey is 149% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.01 £14.88

$4.56 ฿149

338.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.3 £64.9

$46.63 ฿1,519

87.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 £6.60

$8.47 ฿276

4.84%

Cappuccino

$4.45 £3.31

$3.03 ฿98.6

46.86%

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

$2.20 £1.63

$0.69 ฿22.45

218.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.23

$0.37 ฿11.92

345.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.81 £4.32

$2.49 ฿81.0

133.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 £4.10

$3.66 ฿119

50.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.12

$2.18 ฿71.0

-30.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 £1.11

$1.90 ฿62.0

-21.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 £2.13

$2.20 ฿71.6

30.00%

Eggs

$3.31 £2.46

$2.22 ฿72.4

49.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 £6.40

$19.99 ฿651

-56.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 £5.52

$3.66 ฿119

103.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 £11.54

$13.25 ฿432

17.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 £3.20

$3.23 ฿105

33.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 £1.69

$1.70 ฿55.3

34.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$2.39 ฿78.0

24.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.81 £3.57

$2.08 ฿67.7

131.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 £0.91

$1.59 ฿51.8

-23.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.48 ฿48.31

16.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 £0.78

$1.03 ฿33.54

1.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 £1.43

$0.52 ฿16.83

269.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.62 £10.12

$4.25 ฿138

220.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.50 £8.55

$18.79 ฿612

-38.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 £2.23

$1.76 ฿57.2

70.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 £1.41

$2.76 ฿89.8

-31.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 £3.06

$1.36 ฿44.32

202.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$137 £102

$11.36 ฿370

1107.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 £3.42

$3.14 ฿102

46.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 £1.34

$1.04 ฿33.74

74.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.42 £30.80

$13.77 ฿448

200.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.34 ฿43.79

42.54%

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

$37.7K £28.0K

$27.7K ฿901.4K

36.08%

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

$39.7K £29.5K

$33.9K ฿1.1M

17.23%

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

$275 £204

$124 ฿4,025

122.53%

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

$15.60 £11.59

$13.52 ฿440

15.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.90 £31.15

$18.69 ฿609

124.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 £40.55

$61.8 ฿2,013

-11.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.25 ฿562

Cinema Ticket

$10.91 £8.11

$9.14 ฿298

19.37%

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

$1,320 £982

$703 ฿22.9K

87.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K £13.6K

$15.9K ฿517.0K

14.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 £62.9

$59.5 ฿1,937

42.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.69 £31.74

$35.07 ฿1,142

21.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 £65.7

$115 ฿3,754

-23.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 £103

$84.1 ฿2,737

65.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,401 £1,785

$619 ฿20.1K

288.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,005 £1,491

$433 ฿14.1K

363.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,424 £2,546

$2,062 ฿67.2K

66.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,730 £1,287

$1,511 ฿49.2K

14.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,646 ฿118.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,189 £5,345

$2,626 ฿85.5K

173.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,478 £2,586

$507 ฿16.5K

586.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.33

10.69%

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

Last update for Surrey: June 6, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,401 in Surrey and $619 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surrey pays 586% 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: $87.0 in Surrey vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 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

Surrey vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Getting Around, Clothing & Footwear, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 165% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Surrey pays 586% 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: $2,401 in Surrey versus $619 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,320 in Surrey versus $703 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Surrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,261 in Phuket versus $3,346 in Surrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Surrey. 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 Surrey, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Surrey 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 165% less than in Surrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.