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: $2,203 in Swansea versus $1,223 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,195 in Swansea versus $2,237 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,188 in Swansea versus $3,251 in Phuket.

Living in Swansea is roughly 80% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Swansea is 65% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.96 £17.85

$4.51 ฿147

431.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 £50.7

$46.62 ฿1,515

45.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 £7.61

$8.49 ฿276

20.38%

Cappuccino

$5.04 £3.75

$3.08 ฿100

63.64%

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

$2.27 £1.69

$0.68 ฿22.07

233.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 £0.88

$0.36 ฿11.75

227.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 £4.43

$2.43 ฿78.8

144.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 £5.14

$3.63 ฿118

90.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 £1.42

$2.19 ฿71.1

-12.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 £1.42

$1.81 ฿59.0

5.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 £1.34

$2.23 ฿72.5

-19.28%

Eggs

$3.78 £2.82

$2.24 ฿72.7

68.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 £6.35

$19.60 ฿637

-56.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 £6.58

$3.72 ฿121

137.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 £9.96

$13.47 ฿438

-0.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.31

$3.36 ฿109

-7.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.62 ฿52.5

-21.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 £1.69

$2.41 ฿78.3

-5.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 £2.69

$1.99 ฿64.6

81.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.53 ฿49.76

34.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.45 ฿47.19

15.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 £0.75

$1.01 ฿32.96

-0.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 £1.44

$0.48 ฿15.73

304.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.05 £16.42

$4.27 ฿139

416.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 £7.87

$19.12 ฿621

-44.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 £2.00

$1.84 ฿59.7

46.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 £2.95

$2.74 ฿89.1

44.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.96

$1.42 ฿46.06

180.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.3 £71.7

$11.72 ฿381

721.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 £3.02

$3.00 ฿97.6

35.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 £1.84

$1.05 ฿34.00

135.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.72 £25.11

$13.90 ฿452

142.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 £1.41

$1.29 ฿41.94

46.51%

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

$39.0K £29.0K

$28.0K ฿911.1K

38.99%

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

$47.8K £35.6K

$33.5K ฿1.1M

42.66%

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

$314 £234

$122 ฿3,964

157.07%

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

$15.37 £11.45

$13.93 ฿453

10.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.14 £34.36

$18.87 ฿613

144.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.88 £26.72

$61.3 ฿1,992

-41.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.24 £12.09

$16.84 ฿547

-3.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 £7.54

$8.89 ฿289

13.95%

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

$1,496 £1,114

$691 ฿22.5K

116.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K £13.7K

$16.2K ฿525.2K

14.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 £42.77

$57.8 ฿1,878

-0.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 £29.88

$35.39 ฿1,150

13.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 £89.4

$113 ฿3,685

5.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.9 £64.0

$83.0 ฿2,698

3.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 £816

$607 ฿19.7K

80.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$894 £666

$448 ฿14.6K

99.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,652 £1,230

$2,029 ฿66.0K

-18.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 £1,047

$1,493 ฿48.5K

-5.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,694 £2,752

$3,585 ฿116.5K

3.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,740 £2,041

$2,585 ฿84.0K

6.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,140 £2,338

$505 ฿16.4K

522.01%

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: June 15, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,096 in Swansea and $607 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swansea pays 522% 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: $68.0 in Swansea vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $300 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 80% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Swansea pays 522% 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: $1,096 in Swansea versus $607 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,496 in Swansea versus $691 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Swansea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,223 in Phuket versus $2,203 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 80% less than in Swansea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.