Cost of Living Comparison Between Wick and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Wick and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,421 in Wick versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,482 in Wick versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,542 in Wick versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Wick is roughly 91% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wick is 81% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.55 £15.31

$4.70 ฿154

337.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 £49.94

$45.37 ฿1,483

47.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 £7.35

$8.43 ฿276

17.08%

Cappuccino

$3.97 £2.95

$2.93 ฿95.7

35.49%

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

$2.03 £1.51

$0.69 ฿22.42

194.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 £1.14

$0.37 ฿12.00

316.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 £4.43

$2.41 ฿78.7

146.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 £5.17

$3.72 ฿122

86.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 £1.32

$2.23 ฿73.0

-20.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.83 ฿59.9

-9.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 £1.33

$2.17 ฿70.9

-17.51%

Eggs

$4.17 £3.10

$2.21 ฿72.4

88.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 £6.65

$19.74 ฿645

-54.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 £8.65

$3.63 ฿119

219.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 £10.37

$13.53 ฿442

2.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 £1.81

$3.28 ฿107

-25.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 £1.23

$1.61 ฿52.7

2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 £1.97

$2.41 ฿78.7

9.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 £3.01

$2.08 ฿68.1

94.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 £0.89

$1.53 ฿49.97

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 £0.64

$1.48 ฿48.41

-41.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.86

$0.99 ฿32.32

17.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 £1.01

$0.51 ฿16.68

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.36 £14.42

$4.41 ฿144

339.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.98 £8.18

$19.38 ฿634

-43.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 £1.60

$1.78 ฿58.1

20.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 £1.71

$2.71 ฿88.7

-15.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.41 £2.54

$1.37 ฿44.83

148.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.5 £65.2

$11.39 ฿372

668.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 £3.61

$3.02 ฿98.7

60.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 £1.31

$0.99 ฿32.51

76.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 £26.29

$14.10 ฿461

150.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.44

$1.36 ฿44.55

42.65%

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

$38.8K £28.9K

$28.2K ฿921.9K

37.74%

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

$41.6K £31.0K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

26.54%

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

$405 £301

$122 ฿3,978

232.55%

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

$24.50 £18.25

$13.57 ฿444

80.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.87 £33.42

$18.31 ฿599

145.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.74 £34.81

$60.2 ฿1,969

-22.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 £6.63

$8.69 ฿284

2.42%

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

$1,908 £1,421

$693 ฿22.7K

175.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K £11.6K

$15.7K ฿512.8K

-1.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.0 £61.8

$59.5 ฿1,946

39.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.78 £31.12

$34.77 ฿1,137

20.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.5 £69.7

$115 ฿3,746

-18.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £88.9

$83.3 ฿2,723

43.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 £920

$613 ฿20.0K

101.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 £759

$437 ฿14.3K

133.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 £1,535

$2,094 ฿68.5K

-1.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 £1,266

$1,509 ฿49.3K

12.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,943 £3,682

$3,749 ฿122.6K

31.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

5.33

16.32%

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

Last update for Wick: June 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,235 in Wick and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Wick vs $45.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $293 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

Wick vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 91% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,631 in Wick and $1,898 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,235 in Wick versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,908 in Wick versus $693 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 Wick. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,421 in Wick, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Wick. 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 Wick, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Wick 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 91% less than in Wick. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.