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Edinburgh vs Phuket cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇬🇧 Edinburgh
🇹🇭 Phuket
At a glance
- Where Phuket is clearly cheaper: Laundry (88%↓), Massage (87%↓), Haircut (81%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Edinburgh is easier to travel (1.6 vs 2.8). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Edinburgh 2 vs Phuket 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Edinburgh | Phuket | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | £ 14$18.9 | ฿ 130$3.94 | Phuket −79% |
| Street food1 item | £ 5.5$7.43 | ฿ 80$2.42 | Phuket −67% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | £ 30$40.5 | ฿ 450$13.6 | Phuket −66% |
| Coffeeone cup | £ 3.8$5.14 | ฿ 80$2.42 | Phuket −53% |
| Beerone bottle | £ 5.5$7.43 | ฿ 110$3.33 | Phuket −55% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | £ 9$12.2 | ฿ 250$7.58 | Phuket −38% |
| Bottled water | £ 1.2$1.62 | ฿ 12$0.36 | Phuket −78% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | £ 1.8$2.43 | ฿ 25$0.76 | Phuket −69% |
| Taxi5 km in town | £ 11$14.9 | ฿ 200$6.06 | Phuket −59% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | £ 7$9.46 | ฿ 100$3.03 | Phuket −68% |
| Transitone ride | £ 2.4$3.24 | ฿ 40$1.21 | Phuket −63% |
| Scooter rentalper day | £ 20$27 | ฿ 300$9.09 | Phuket −66% |
| Hotel night3-star | £ 120$162 | ฿ 2,000$60.6 | Phuket −63% |
| Studio rent (month) | £ 1,050$1,419 | ฿ 16,000$485 | Phuket −66% |
| Laundry | £ 9$12.2 | ฿ 50$1.52 | Phuket −88% |
| SIM card1 week data | £ 10$13.5 | ฿ 299$9.06 | Phuket −33% |
| Haircutcut | £ 18$24.3 | ฿ 150$4.55 | Phuket −81% |
| Massage1 hour | £ 60$81.1 | ฿ 350$10.6 | Phuket −87% |
| Half-day tourper person | £ 40$54.1 | ฿ 1,000$30.3 | Phuket −44% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | £ 21.5$29.1 | ฿ 200$6.06 | Phuket −79% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Edinburgh or Phuket?
Phuket is 64% cheaper than Edinburgh. Daily budget $313 vs $109; a month $5,475 vs $2,006.
Which is easier to travel, Edinburgh or Phuket?
Edinburgh is easier: Edinburgh 1.6/5 vs Phuket 2.8/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Edinburgh and Phuket?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Edinburgh is about $5,475 and Phuket about $2,006 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.