Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benoni and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,067 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
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Benoni Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,067

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Benoni versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Benoni $1,067
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,318 in Benoni versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Benoni $1,318
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,568 in Benoni versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Benoni $1,568
Phuket $3,154

Living in Benoni costs roughly 16% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Benoni 22% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.86 R 164

$4.47 ฿151

120.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.05 R 617

$32.41 ฿1,094

14.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 R 92.5

$8.81 ฿297

-37.00%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 36.12

$2.83 ฿95.5

-23.32%

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

$1.14 R 18.97

$0.87 ฿29.43

31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 14.04

$0.49 ฿16.67

71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R 39.43

$2.56 ฿86.4

-7.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R 45.80

$3.68 ฿124

-25.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R 20.15

$1.66 ฿56.0

-27.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.61

$1.46 ฿49.35

-23.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.75

$1.50 ฿50.6

19.33%

Eggs

$2.49 R 41.41

$2.09 ฿70.5

19.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 R 136

$19.07 ฿644

-57.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 R 80.8

$3.30 ฿111

46.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 R 119

$10.91 ฿368

-34.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.96

$2.93 ฿99.0

-40.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.66

$1.69 ฿57.1

-5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.56

$2.25 ฿75.8

-21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 26.07

$2.08 ฿70.1

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.83

$1.51 ฿51.0

-29.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R 19.54

$1.38 ฿46.56

-15.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.28

$1.07 ฿35.99

14.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.61

$0.52 ฿17.52

150.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.7

$4.20 ฿142

-16.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 82.8

$18.79 ฿634

-73.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 R 25.20

$1.82 ฿61.5

-17.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 R 33.04

$2.84 ฿95.9

-30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.79

$3.02 ฿102

-90.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.52

$1.02 ฿34.36

-8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.37 R 239

$3.69 ฿125

289.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.55

$1.47 ฿49.81

4.08%

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

$35.4K R 590.5K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

32.34%

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

$34.4K R 573.9K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

29.03%

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

$197 R 3,285

$96.4 ฿3,254

104.61%

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

$39.26 R 654

$11.26 ฿380

248.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.82 R 630

$16.85 ฿569

124.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.81 R 297

$67.2 ฿2,270

-73.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 R 119

$7.50 ฿253

-4.67%

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

$246 R 4,098

$476 ฿16.1K

-48.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,379 R 89.6K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-52.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 868

$62.4 ฿2,106

-16.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.79 R 530

$28.41 ฿959

11.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 R 1,520

$94.3 ฿3,184

-3.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 R 1,372

$85.8 ฿2,898

-4.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 R 6,547

$716 ฿24.2K

-45.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 R 5,036

$491 ฿16.6K

-38.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 R 8,157

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-74.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,000 R 33.3K

$502 ฿17.0K

298.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

5.57

95.87%

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

Last update for Benoni: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benoni

$302 28.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 62.4% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benoni

$274 25.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 54.6% $150

Groceries & Markets

Benoni

$191 17.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 39.3% $75

Eating Out

Benoni

$147 13.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 17.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Benoni

$116 10.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.2% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Benoni

$32 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 156% $50

Getting Around

Benoni

$4.9 * 0.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1329% $66

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 Benoni and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays about 4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Benoni vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $191 vs $266, with Benoni cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Benoni

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

12:25 12:25 PM

5 h ahead of Benoni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,777

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 29, 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 29, 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

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Between locations

Benoni Phuket 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Benoni
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

Benoni vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,067 in Benoni and $1,278 in Phuket, so Benoni is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Benoni is about 4 times higher, 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: $393 in Benoni versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,067 per month in Benoni versus $1,278 in Phuket – Benoni is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Benoni gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.