Cost of Living Comparison Between Swansea and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Swansea and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,229 in Swansea versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,242 in Swansea versus $2,255 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,256 in Swansea versus $3,279 in Phuket.

Living in Swansea is roughly 81% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Swansea is 66% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.06 £17.83

$4.63 ฿151

419.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 £51.0

$46.84 ฿1,532

46.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 £7.43

$8.84 ฿289

13.46%

Cappuccino

$5.04 £3.73

$3.00 ฿98.0

68.00%

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

$2.35 £1.74

$0.74 ฿24.25

217.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 £0.87

$0.37 ฿11.95

216.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.00 £4.45

$2.44 ฿79.8

145.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.01 £5.19

$3.61 ฿118

94.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$2.26 ฿73.9

-12.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 £1.37

$1.84 ฿60.1

0.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 £1.28

$2.24 ฿73.4

-22.77%

Eggs

$3.70 £2.74

$2.32 ฿75.7

59.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 £6.20

$19.67 ฿643

-57.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.91 £6.60

$3.65 ฿119

144.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.97 £9.61

$13.10 ฿428

-0.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.20

$3.39 ฿111

-12.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 £0.94

$1.64 ฿53.7

-22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 £1.70

$2.41 ฿79.0

-4.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.46 £2.56

$2.03 ฿66.4

70.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 £1.57

$1.56 ฿50.9

35.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 £1.26

$1.50 ฿48.94

13.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 £0.77

$1.02 ฿33.50

0.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.39

$0.49 ฿16.00

283.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.74 £16.85

$4.45 ฿145

411.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 £7.87

$18.88 ฿617

-43.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 £1.99

$1.78 ฿58.1

51.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 £2.92

$2.75 ฿90.1

43.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.17 £3.09

$1.40 ฿45.81

197.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 £71.2

$11.48 ฿376

737.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 £3.04

$3.12 ฿102

31.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 £1.83

$1.00 ฿32.67

147.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.25 £25.38

$14.09 ฿461

143.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.46

$1.35 ฿44.19

45.93%

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

$38.8K £28.7K

$27.2K ฿888.9K

42.63%

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

$48.9K £36.2K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

48.45%

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

$316 £234

$125 ฿4,087

152.79%

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

$15.57 £11.54

$13.57 ฿444

14.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.29 £33.56

$18.52 ฿606

144.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.21 £26.83

$61.5 ฿2,010

-41.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 £12.21

$16.84 ฿551

-2.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.29 £7.62

$9.19 ฿300

11.97%

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

$1,520 £1,127

$698 ฿22.8K

117.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K £13.5K

$15.6K ฿509.9K

16.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 £42.33

$57.8 ฿1,889

-1.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.23 £29.81

$35.24 ฿1,152

14.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 £92.3

$113 ฿3,699

10.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 £63.0

$86.4 ฿2,825

-1.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 £831

$616 ฿20.1K

82.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$899 £666

$446 ฿14.6K

101.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 £1,240

$2,048 ฿67.0K

-18.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 £1,040

$1,492 ฿48.8K

-5.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,691 £2,735

$3,779 ฿123.6K

-2.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 £2,062

$2,649 ฿86.6K

5.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,144 £2,330

$524 ฿17.1K

500.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

5.33

14.45%

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

Last update for Swansea: April 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,122 in Swansea and $616 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swansea pays 500% 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: $69.0 in Swansea vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $296 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

Swansea vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Swansea pays 500% 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: $1,122 in Swansea versus $616 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,520 in Swansea 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 1% higher in Swansea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $2,229 in Swansea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Swansea. 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 Swansea, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Swansea 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 81% less than in Swansea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.