Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Torquay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,110 in Torquay, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Torquay
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Torquay Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Torquay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,110

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Torquay and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Torquay and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,110 in Torquay versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Torquay $2,110
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,051 in Torquay versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Torquay $3,051
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,991 in Torquay versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Torquay $3,991
Phuket $2,845

Living in Torquay is roughly 75% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Torquay is 56% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.61 £16.22

$4.40 ฿147

391.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.4 £69.3

$32.26 ฿1,078

186.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 £6.79

$8.76 ฿293

3.31%

Cappuccino

$4.47 £3.36

$2.83 ฿94.5

57.95%

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

$2.78 £2.09

$0.90 ฿30.14

208.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 £1.66

$0.47 ฿15.56

370.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 £4.07

$2.55 ฿85.2

112.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 £3.89

$3.83 ฿128

35.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.73 ฿57.7

10.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.47 ฿49.11

36.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 £2.39

$1.51 ฿50.6

111.26%

Eggs

$5.19 £3.89

$2.17 ฿72.7

139.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.81 £5.11

$19.70 ฿658

-65.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 £8.11

$3.34 ฿112

223.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 £12.33

$11.16 ฿373

47.22%

Apples (1kg)

$0.83 £0.63

$2.85 ฿95.1

-70.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 £1.93

$1.70 ฿56.9

51.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.93 £3.70

$2.19 ฿73.3

125.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 £4.39

$2.05 ฿68.4

185.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 £1.59

$1.45 ฿48.57

46.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.38 ฿46.16

26.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 £1.39

$1.07 ฿35.69

73.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 £1.49

$0.51 ฿16.91

288.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.93 £17.95

$4.26 ฿142

461.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.23 £8.43

$18.58 ฿621

-39.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.87 £2.91

$1.78 ฿59.7

117.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$2.85 ฿95.2

13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.94 £2.95

$2.26 ฿75.6

74.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.7 £48.51

$22.10 ฿738

192.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.82 £4.37

$3.01 ฿101

93.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.15 £19.62

$3.86 ฿129

577.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.53

$1.45 ฿48.45

40.00%

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

$37.9K £28.5K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

44.05%

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

$40.8K £30.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

51.44%

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

$290 £218

$96.4 ฿3,221

201.00%

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

$20.08 £15.07

$11.04 ฿369

81.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.60 £21.45

$17.14 ฿573

66.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.87 £25.41

$52.2 ฿1,744

-35.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.96 £5.97

$11.16 ฿373

-28.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.51 £5.64

$7.81 ฿261

-3.84%

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

$1,611 £1,209

$556 ฿18.6K

189.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 £61.6

$64.2 ฿2,146

27.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.48 £17.61

$28.69 ฿959

-18.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.6 £49.24

$95.4 ฿3,187

-31.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 £59.4

$88.0 ฿2,940

-9.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 £795

$737 ฿24.6K

43.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$858 £644

$462 ฿15.5K

85.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 £1,220

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-22.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 £891

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-1.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,190 £3,143

$3,488 ฿116.6K

20.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,763 £2,073

$2,523 ฿84.3K

9.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,479 £1,860

$501 ฿16.7K

395.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

5.57

-8.26%

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

Last update for Torquay: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Torquay

$858 40.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 46.1% $396

Groceries & Markets

Torquay

$354 16.8%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 24.2% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Torquay

$339 16.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 63.2% $214

Eating Out

Torquay

$311 14.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 61% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Torquay

$113 5.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 10.3% $12

Getting Around

Torquay

$86 * 4.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 54.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Torquay

$49 2.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 38.7% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,060 in Torquay and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Torquay pays 395% 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: $92.0 in Torquay vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $354 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Torquay

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

00:29 12:29 AM

6 h ahead of Torquay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,388

79,308

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Torquay Phuket 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Torquay
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Torquay vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 395% higher in Torquay, 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: $1,060 in Torquay versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,611 in Torquay versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Torquay. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,110 in Torquay, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Torquay. 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 Torquay, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Torquay 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 75% less than in Torquay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.