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: $3,285 in Surrey versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,989 in Surrey versus $2,255 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,693 in Surrey versus $3,279 in Phuket.

Living in Surrey is roughly 167% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surrey is 145% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.15 £14.91

$4.63 ฿151

335.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 £62.5

$46.84 ฿1,523

80.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 £6.69

$8.84 ฿287

2.26%

Cappuccino

$4.63 £3.43

$3.00 ฿97.4

54.33%

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

$2.22 £1.64

$0.74 ฿24.11

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.17

$0.37 ฿11.88

327.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.81 £4.30

$2.44 ฿79.3

138.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 £4.08

$3.61 ฿117

52.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 £1.15

$2.26 ฿73.5

-30.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 £1.10

$1.84 ฿59.8

-19.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 £2.15

$2.24 ฿73.0

29.46%

Eggs

$3.34 £2.47

$2.32 ฿75.3

43.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 £6.40

$19.67 ฿639

-56.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 £5.56

$3.65 ฿119

106.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 £11.18

$13.10 ฿426

15.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 £3.15

$3.39 ฿110

25.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 £1.69

$1.64 ฿53.4

39.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 £2.24

$2.41 ฿78.5

25.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 £3.58

$2.03 ฿66.0

137.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 £0.90

$1.56 ฿50.6

-21.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 £1.27

$1.50 ฿48.66

14.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 £0.81

$1.02 ฿33.30

7.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.44

$0.49 ฿15.91

297.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.72 £10.15

$4.45 ฿145

208.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.09 £8.21

$18.88 ฿614

-41.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 £2.26

$1.78 ฿57.7

71.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.36

$2.75 ฿89.5

-33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.19 £3.10

$1.40 ฿45.54

199.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$134 £99.4

$11.48 ฿373

1069.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.72 £3.49

$3.12 ฿101

51.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 £1.32

$1.00 ฿32.48

79.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.28 £29.81

$14.09 ฿458

185.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.39

$1.35 ฿43.93

39.26%

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

$39.0K £28.9K

$27.2K ฿883.7K

43.52%

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

$39.6K £29.3K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

20.28%

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

$271 £200

$125 ฿4,063

116.64%

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

$15.47 £11.45

$13.57 ฿441

14.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.06 £30.39

$18.52 ฿602

121.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 £40.84

$61.5 ฿1,999

-10.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿547

Cinema Ticket

$10.79 £7.98

$9.19 ฿299

17.41%

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

$1,324 £980

$698 ฿22.7K

89.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K £13.5K

$15.6K ฿506.9K

16.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.6 £61.8

$57.8 ฿1,878

44.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.18 £31.95

$35.24 ฿1,146

22.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 £64.1

$113 ฿3,677

-23.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 £100

$86.4 ฿2,808

57.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,348 £1,737

$616 ฿20.0K

281.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 £1,436

$446 ฿14.5K

335.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,338 £2,470

$2,048 ฿66.6K

63.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 £1,234

$1,492 ฿48.5K

11.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿122.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,370 £5,454

$2,649 ฿86.1K

178.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,521 £2,606

$524 ฿17.0K

572.26%

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: April 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,348 in Surrey and $616 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surrey pays 572% 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: $84.0 in Surrey vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 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

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 167% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Surrey pays 572% 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: $2,348 in Surrey versus $616 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,324 in Surrey 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 7% higher in Surrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $3,285 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 167% less than in Surrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.