Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashburton and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,040 in Ashburton, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
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Ashburton Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,040

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ashburton 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 Ashburton and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,040 per month in Ashburton vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Ashburton $2,040
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,892 per month in Ashburton vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Ashburton $2,892
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,745 per month in Ashburton vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Ashburton $3,745
Phuket $3,154

Ashburton costs about 60% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ashburton sits 50% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.48 NZ$25.71

$4.47 ฿151

223.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.9 NZ$124

$32.41 ฿1,093

115.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.28 NZ$16.47

$8.81 ฿297

5.33%

Cappuccino

$3.30 NZ$5.86

$2.83 ฿95.4

16.61%

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

$2.27 NZ$4.03

$0.87 ฿29.41

160.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$0.49 ฿16.65

281.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.74 NZ$11.97

$2.56 ฿86.3

163.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 NZ$12.40

$3.68 ฿124

89.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 NZ$2.97

$1.66 ฿55.9

0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 NZ$3.19

$1.46 ฿49.31

23.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 NZ$2.51

$1.50 ฿50.5

-6.00%

Eggs

$6.04 NZ$10.72

$2.09 ฿70.5

189.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 NZ$12.93

$19.07 ฿643

-61.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 NZ$16.81

$3.30 ฿111

186.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 NZ$23.92

$10.91 ฿368

23.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 NZ$4.41

$2.93 ฿98.9

-15.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 NZ$3.58

$1.69 ฿57.0

19.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 NZ$4.86

$2.25 ฿75.8

21.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 NZ$5.44

$2.08 ฿70.0

47.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$1.51 ฿51.0

0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 NZ$2.48

$1.38 ฿46.52

1.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 NZ$4.05

$1.07 ฿35.96

113.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 NZ$2.28

$0.52 ฿17.51

146.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.04 NZ$42.68

$4.20 ฿142

472.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 NZ$14.83

$18.79 ฿634

-55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.50 NZ$6.21

$1.82 ฿61.5

92.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 NZ$7.89

$2.84 ฿95.8

56.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 NZ$3.12

$1.45 ฿48.98

21.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 NZ$161

$56.7 ฿1,912

60.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 NZ$4.42

$3.02 ฿102

-17.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 NZ$2.98

$1.02 ฿34.33

64.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.87 NZ$51.3

$3.69 ฿125

682.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.43

$1.47 ฿49.76

31.29%

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

$28.0K NZ$49.7K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

4.63%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-12.68%

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

$157 NZ$279

$96.4 ฿3,251

63.27%

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

$23.27 NZ$41.31

$11.26 ฿380

106.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.99 NZ$79.9

$16.85 ฿568

167.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.50 NZ$70.1

$67.2 ฿2,268

-41.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.67 NZ$20.72

$7.50 ฿253

55.60%

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

$676 NZ$1,200

$476 ฿16.1K

42.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K NZ$38.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

92.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NZ$106

$62.4 ฿2,104

-4.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.20 NZ$71.4

$28.41 ฿958

41.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 NZ$181

$94.3 ฿3,181

7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 NZ$220

$85.8 ฿2,895

44.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 NZ$1,640

$716 ฿24.2K

29.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 NZ$1,685

$491 ฿16.6K

93.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,883 NZ$3,343

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-2.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 NZ$2,287

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-9.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,025 NZ$8,922

$4,175 ฿140.9K

20.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,445 NZ$6,116

$3,045 ฿102.7K

13.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.57

6.10%

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

Last update for Ashburton: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashburton

$949 46.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 48.3% $458

Groceries & Markets

Ashburton

$300 14.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 11.2% $34

Eating Out

Ashburton

$248 12.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 50.8% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashburton

$226 11.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 44.8% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Ashburton

$147 7.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.9% $25

Getting Around

Ashburton

$109 5.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 35% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Ashburton

$63 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 30.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Ashburton versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Ashburton versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

01:40 1:40 AM

6 h behind Ashburton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,500

79,308

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ashburton Phuket 9,310 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashburton
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

Ashburton vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,040 in Ashburton, $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,060 per month in Ashburton and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $924 in Ashburton.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Ashburton, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Ashburton and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Ashburton at $2,040. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ashburton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 37% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.