Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canterbury, New Zealand and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $915 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$915

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $915 per month in Canterbury vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Canterbury $915
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Canterbury vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Canterbury $1,521
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,127 per month in Canterbury vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Canterbury $2,127
Phuket $3,154

Canterbury is about 28% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Canterbury and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Canterbury 33% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.95 NZ$24.76

$4.47 ฿151

212.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.7 NZ$113

$32.41 ฿1,093

96.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 NZ$20.45

$8.81 ฿297

30.76%

Cappuccino

$3.06 NZ$5.44

$2.83 ฿95.4

8.13%

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

$2.07 NZ$3.67

$0.87 ฿29.41

137.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 NZ$3.75

$0.49 ฿16.65

330.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 NZ$7.00

$2.56 ฿86.3

53.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 NZ$10.82

$3.68 ฿124

65.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$1.66 ฿55.9

33.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$1.46 ฿49.31

32.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 NZ$3.01

$1.50 ฿50.5

12.67%

Eggs

$5.53 NZ$9.82

$2.09 ฿70.5

164.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 NZ$14.81

$19.07 ฿643

-56.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 NZ$16.28

$3.30 ฿111

177.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.50 NZ$29.30

$10.91 ฿368

51.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.16

$2.93 ฿98.9

-0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 NZ$3.93

$1.69 ฿57.0

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 NZ$5.85

$2.25 ฿75.8

46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.19 NZ$9.21

$2.08 ฿70.0

149.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.51 ฿51.0

22.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 NZ$3.32

$1.38 ฿46.52

35.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NZ$4.14

$1.07 ฿35.96

117.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 NZ$1.06

$0.52 ฿17.51

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.06 NZ$37.39

$4.20 ฿142

401.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.26 NZ$16.44

$18.79 ฿634

-50.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 NZ$5.71

$1.82 ฿61.5

76.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 NZ$2.13

$2.84 ฿95.8

-57.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 NZ$10.17

$3.02 ฿102

89.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.19 NZ$50.1

$3.69 ฿125

663.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 NZ$2.84

$1.47 ฿49.76

8.84%

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

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

6.42%

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

$23.3K NZ$41.3K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-12.83%

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

$113 NZ$201

$96.4 ฿3,251

17.35%

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

$29.09 NZ$51.6

$11.26 ฿380

158.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 NZ$91.8

$16.85 ฿568

206.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 NZ$20.34

$7.50 ฿253

52.80%

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

$590 NZ$1,048

$476 ฿16.1K

23.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 NZ$106

$62.4 ฿2,104

-3.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.35 NZ$39.69

$28.41 ฿958

-21.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 NZ$162

$94.3 ฿3,181

-3.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 NZ$247

$85.8 ฿2,895

62.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$898 NZ$1,595

$716 ฿24.2K

25.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,733 NZ$4,853

$502 ฿16.9K

444.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Canterbury: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Canterbury

$320 35%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 16.9% $54

Eating Out

Canterbury

$232 25.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 47.4% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canterbury

$194 21.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 35.8% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Canterbury

$141 15.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Canterbury

$23 * 2.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 259% $59

Getting Around

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1132% $65

Accommodation & Living

Canterbury

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $898 in Canterbury 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.

Salaries in Canterbury are about 5.4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Canterbury versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

6 h behind Canterbury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Canterbury Phuket 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Canterbury
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

Canterbury vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $915 in Canterbury, $1,278 in Phuket – Canterbury comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Canterbury 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 $898 in Canterbury.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Canterbury and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Canterbury it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $915 in Canterbury to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.