Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bhisho and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhisho: $1,142 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Bhisho
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Bhisho Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bhisho

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,142

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,142 in Bhisho versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Bhisho $1,142
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,802 in Bhisho versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Bhisho $1,802
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,462 in Bhisho versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Bhisho $2,462
Phuket $3,115

Living in Bhisho costs roughly 12% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bhisho 16% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.99 R 183

$4.39 ฿148

150.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.60 R 710

$32.31 ฿1,090

31.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 98.1

$8.70 ฿294

-32.41%

Cappuccino

$2.06 R 34.28

$2.72 ฿91.9

-24.26%

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

$1.02 R 16.98

$0.93 ฿31.39

9.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R 12.21

$0.50 ฿16.85

46.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 R 44.24

$2.53 ฿85.4

5.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 R 53.0

$3.63 ฿122

-12.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.87

$1.74 ฿58.7

-35.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.37

$1.45 ฿48.95

-28.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.09

$1.50 ฿50.7

0.67%

Eggs

$2.71 R 45.09

$2.17 ฿73.3

24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.81 R 147

$19.09 ฿644

-53.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 R 86.7

$3.40 ฿115

52.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.53 R 142

$10.90 ฿368

-21.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R 36.32

$2.94 ฿99.2

-25.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.49

$1.69 ฿57.1

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.92

$2.19 ฿74.0

-23.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.86

$2.12 ฿71.7

-18.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.81

$1.46 ฿49.21

14.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.70

$1.37 ฿46.15

3.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.78

$1.08 ฿36.30

15.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.38

$0.55 ฿18.41

78.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 R 55.0

$4.43 ฿149

-25.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.70 R 78.4

$18.25 ฿616

-74.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.25

$1.77 ฿59.8

-31.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 R 29.36

$2.88 ฿97.2

-38.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.64

$1.45 ฿48.84

22.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.99 R 400

$54.9 ฿1,852

-56.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 R 13.75

$1.51 ฿51.0

-45.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.33

$0.78 ฿26.18

-35.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.31 R 139

$3.84 ฿130

116.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 R 24.53

$1.49 ฿50.2

-1.34%

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

$34.4K R 573.1K

$26.9K ฿907.0K

27.95%

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

$35.4K R 589.9K

$26.3K ฿888.9K

34.38%

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

$124 R 2,073

$97.8 ฿3,300

27.20%

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

$34.58 R 576

$11.29 ฿381

206.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.53 R 759

$17.19 ฿580

164.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 R 538

$68.3 ฿2,305

-52.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.98 R 200

$10.92 ฿368

9.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.38 R 173

$7.43 ฿251

39.70%

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

$177 R 2,955

$530 ฿17.9K

-66.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,036 R 100.6K

$18.8K ฿633.7K

-67.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 R 1,178

$61.7 ฿2,081

14.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.97 R 649

$28.25 ฿953

37.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,834

$96.0 ฿3,239

14.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 R 1,621

$86.8 ฿2,929

12.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,625

$721 ฿24.3K

-44.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 R 5,908

$509 ฿17.2K

-30.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 12.0K

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-63.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 12.1K

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-48.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$771 R 12.8K

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-81.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$671 R 11.2K

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-79.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,243 R 54.0K

$492 ฿16.6K

559.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

5.57

114.36%

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

Last update for Bhisho: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bhisho

$355 31.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 43.5% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bhisho

$205 17.9%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 38.3% $78

Groceries & Markets

Bhisho

$196 17.1%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 36.4% $71

Eating Out

Bhisho

$157 13.7%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 23.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Bhisho

$143 12.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 14% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bhisho

$53 4.7%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 56.7% $30

Getting Around

Bhisho

$34 3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 91.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $398 in Bhisho and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhisho pays about 6.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Bhisho vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $196 vs $267, with Bhisho cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bhisho

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

04:22 4:22 AM

5 h ahead of Bhisho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

137,287

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bhisho Phuket 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bhisho
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

Bhisho vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bhisho wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bhisho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Bhisho is about 6.6 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: $398 in Bhisho versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $177 in Bhisho versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

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.