Cost of Living Comparison Between Totnes and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Totnes and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,174 in Totnes versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,186 in Totnes versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,197 in Totnes versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Totnes is roughly 72% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Totnes is 62% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 £9.13

$4.70 ฿153

160.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 £50.3

$45.37 ฿1,482

48.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.30 £6.93

$8.43 ฿275

10.32%

Cappuccino

$3.98 £2.96

$2.93 ฿95.6

35.84%

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

$2.36 £1.76

$0.69 ฿22.40

242.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.01

$0.37 ฿11.99

264.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 £4.95

$2.41 ฿78.6

175.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 £4.03

$3.72 ฿122

45.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$2.23 ฿72.9

-24.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.83 ฿59.8

-32.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 £1.89

$2.17 ฿70.8

16.59%

Eggs

$3.48 £2.59

$2.21 ฿72.3

57.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 £7.23

$19.74 ฿645

-50.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 £5.15

$3.63 ฿119

90.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 £7.20

$13.53 ฿442

-28.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 £2.09

$3.28 ฿107

-14.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 £1.07

$1.61 ฿52.6

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 £1.72

$2.41 ฿78.6

-4.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 £1.65

$2.08 ฿68.1

6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 £1.29

$1.53 ฿49.93

13.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 £0.96

$1.48 ฿48.36

-12.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 £0.75

$0.99 ฿32.29

2.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 £1.08

$0.51 ฿16.67

184.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.91 £16.32

$4.41 ฿144

396.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.75 £8.01

$19.38 ฿633

-44.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 £2.02

$1.78 ฿58.1

52.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 £1.92

$2.71 ฿88.6

-4.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 £2.53

$1.37 ฿44.79

147.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 £66.7

$11.39 ฿372

686.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 £2.95

$3.02 ฿98.6

31.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 £1.89

$0.99 ฿32.48

155.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.53 £19.02

$14.10 ฿461

81.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.44

$1.36 ฿44.51

41.91%

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

$33.4K £24.9K

$28.2K ฿921.1K

18.38%

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

$38.0K £28.3K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

15.61%

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

$335 £250

$122 ฿3,975

175.55%

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

$16.37 £12.20

$13.57 ฿443

20.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.16 £29.92

$18.31 ฿598

119.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.62 £33.99

$60.2 ฿1,967

-24.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

Cinema Ticket

$16.48 £12.27

$8.69 ฿284

89.64%

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

$2,289 £1,706

$693 ฿22.6K

230.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.3K £25.5K

$15.7K ฿512.3K

118.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 £41.15

$59.5 ฿1,944

-7.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.45 £20.45

$34.77 ฿1,136

-21.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 £60.0

$115 ฿3,743

-29.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.4 £66.6

$83.3 ฿2,720

7.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 £900

$613 ฿20.0K

97.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 £750

$437 ฿14.3K

130.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,029 £1,512

$2,094 ฿68.4K

-3.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 £1,282

$1,509 ฿49.3K

13.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,789 £3,568

$3,749 ฿122.5K

27.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,206 £1,643

$508 ฿16.6K

334.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.82

5.33

9.19%

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

Last update for Totnes: May 30, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Totnes and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Totnes pays 334% 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 Totnes vs $45.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $293, with Totnes cheaper for home cooking.

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

Totnes vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Getting Around, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Totnes pays 334% 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: $1,208 in Totnes versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,289 in Totnes versus $693 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Totnes pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,174 in Totnes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Totnes. 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 Totnes, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Totnes 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 72% less than in Totnes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.