Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellville and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellville: $1,153 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
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Bellville Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,153 in Bellville versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Bellville $1,153
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,785 in Bellville versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Bellville $1,785
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,418 in Bellville versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Bellville $2,418
Phuket $3,154

Living in Bellville costs roughly 10% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bellville 15% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 R 204

$4.47 ฿151

174.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.27 R 404

$32.41 ฿1,094

-25.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.08 R 101

$8.81 ฿297

-30.99%

Cappuccino

$1.96 R 32.66

$2.83 ฿95.5

-30.74%

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

$1.36 R 22.63

$0.87 ฿29.43

56.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.13

$0.49 ฿16.67

110.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 R 37.10

$2.56 ฿86.4

-12.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 61.2

$3.68 ฿124

-0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.75

$1.66 ฿56.0

-17.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 21.00

$1.46 ฿49.35

-13.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 R 36.75

$1.50 ฿50.6

47.33%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.9

$2.09 ฿70.5

48.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 R 152

$19.07 ฿644

-52.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 R 116

$3.30 ฿111

110.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.79 R 163

$10.91 ฿368

-10.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.87

$2.93 ฿99.0

-36.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.63

$1.69 ฿57.1

12.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.36

$2.25 ฿75.8

-21.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 R 35.53

$2.08 ฿70.1

2.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.30

$1.51 ฿51.0

0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.98

$1.38 ฿46.56

8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 R 21.85

$1.07 ฿35.99

22.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 19.17

$0.52 ฿17.52

121.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 R 62.2

$4.20 ฿142

-11.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 R 104

$18.79 ฿634

-66.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R 22.58

$1.82 ฿61.5

-25.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.70

$2.84 ฿95.9

-24.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.85

$1.45 ฿49.03

2.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.67

$3.02 ฿102

-80.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.70

$1.02 ฿34.36

45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 R 84.8

$3.69 ฿125

37.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.71

$1.47 ฿49.81

4.76%

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

$35.3K R 588.7K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

31.93%

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

$34.4K R 573.9K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

29.02%

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

$119 R 1,988

$96.4 ฿3,254

23.83%

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

$28.93 R 482

$11.26 ฿380

156.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.84 R 664

$16.85 ฿569

136.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.04 R 551

$67.2 ฿2,270

-50.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 R 184

$10.73 ฿362

3.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.92 R 149

$7.50 ฿253

18.93%

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

$266 R 4,439

$476 ฿16.1K

-44.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,949 R 115.8K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-38.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 R 948

$62.4 ฿2,106

-8.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.09 R 535

$28.41 ฿959

12.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,992

$94.3 ฿3,184

26.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,784

$85.8 ฿2,898

24.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 R 6,553

$716 ฿24.2K

-45.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 R 6,038

$491 ฿16.6K

-26.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-62.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 R 12.4K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-47.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$879 R 14.6K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-78.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$685 R 11.4K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-77.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.57

96.95%

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

Last update for Bellville: 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

Bellville

$362 31.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 35.5% $129

Groceries & Markets

Bellville

$228 19.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 17% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellville

$188 16.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 33.8% $64

Eating Out

Bellville

$168 14.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 27.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Bellville

$142 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 14.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bellville

$51 4.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 61.6% $31

Getting Around

Bellville

$14 * 1.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 406% $57

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Bellville and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24 in Bellville vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $228 vs $266 per month, with Bellville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bellville

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

00:42 12:42 AM

5 h ahead of Bellville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,507

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bellville Phuket 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bellville
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

Bellville vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellville wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bellville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,729 in Bellville and $1,917 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: $393 in Bellville versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,153 per month in Bellville versus $1,278 in Phuket – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bellville is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bellville delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,153 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bellville hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bellville 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.