Cost of Living Comparison Between York and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between York and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,246 in York versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,586 in York versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,926 in York versus $3,317 in Phuket.

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

The two cities straddle the global median: York is 68% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.48 £20.46

$4.55 ฿153

503.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.3

$46.18 ฿1,553

130.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 £7.89

$8.84 ฿297

19.91%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.65

$3.06 ฿103

60.46%

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

$2.99 £2.22

$0.73 ฿24.40

309.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 £1.31

$0.40 ฿13.39

340.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 £4.98

$2.43 ฿81.8

175.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 £5.04

$3.78 ฿127

79.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 £1.14

$2.26 ฿76.0

-32.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.81 ฿60.9

-4.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 £1.45

$2.25 ฿75.8

-13.33%

Eggs

$3.92 £2.92

$2.25 ฿75.5

74.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 £6.55

$19.51 ฿656

-54.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 £7.02

$3.65 ฿123

158.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 £7.73

$13.05 ฿439

-20.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 £2.19

$3.23 ฿109

-8.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.62 ฿54.4

3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 £1.80

$2.38 ฿80.1

1.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 £3.52

$2.03 ฿68.1

132.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.37

$1.53 ฿51.6

20.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 £1.14

$1.50 ฿50.5

2.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 £0.99

$0.98 ฿32.91

35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 £1.00

$0.52 ฿17.39

157.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.25 £14.33

$4.44 ฿149

333.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 £8.83

$18.32 ฿616

-35.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.18 £3.11

$1.86 ฿62.7

124.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 £2.93

$2.68 ฿90.1

47.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 £2.26

$1.41 ฿47.46

114.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.8 £65.3

$11.70 ฿393

650.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 £3.37

$3.11 ฿105

45.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 £1.05

$1.04 ฿35.06

35.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.07 £14.94

$14.11 ฿474

42.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.31 ฿44.10

45.04%

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

$38.1K £28.4K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

36.99%

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

$41.8K £31.1K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

25.95%

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

$205 £153

$122 ฿4,118

67.69%

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

$16.03 £11.93

$13.59 ฿457

17.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.52 £33.89

$18.70 ฿629

143.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 £38.29

$60.5 ฿2,034

-14.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.29 £20.32

$16.98 ฿571

60.72%

Cinema Ticket

$12.32 £9.18

$9.07 ฿305

35.83%

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

$1,637 £1,219

$706 ฿23.8K

131.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K £11.0K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

-6.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 £44.14

$58.6 ฿1,969

1.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.45 £28.62

$35.36 ฿1,189

8.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 £55.3

$115 ฿3,883

-35.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.2 £64.1

$83.7 ฿2,816

2.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,340 £998

$626 ฿21.0K

114.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$959 £714

$445 ฿15.0K

115.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,661 £1,981

$2,040 ฿68.6K

30.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 £1,475

$1,492 ฿50.2K

32.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,013 £3,732

$3,483 ฿117.1K

43.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,967 £2,954

$2,577 ฿86.7K

53.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,453 £2,571

$500 ฿16.8K

590.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.33

10.69%

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

Last update for York: July 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,340 in York and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

York pays 591% 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: $107 in York vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $301 vs $289 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

York vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 80% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 591% higher in York, 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: $1,340 in York versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,637 in York versus $706 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in York. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,246 in York, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in York. 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 York, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, York 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 York. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.