Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,367 in Centurion, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Centurion despite lower rent and utilities.

66

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,367

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,367 in Centurion versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Centurion $1,367
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,206 in Centurion versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Centurion $2,206
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,045 in Centurion versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Centurion $3,045
Phuket $3,154

Living in Centurion is roughly 7% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.75 R 361

$4.47 ฿151

386.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R 664

$32.41 ฿1,092

23.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.75 R 95.5

$8.81 ฿297

-34.73%

Cappuccino

$2.67 R 44.30

$2.83 ฿95.3

-5.65%

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

$0.97 R 16.05

$0.87 ฿29.37

11.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.49 ฿16.64

77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 R 33.90

$2.56 ฿86.2

-20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R 40.14

$3.68 ฿124

-34.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.35

$1.66 ฿55.9

-29.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 20.13

$1.46 ฿49.25

-17.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.07

$1.50 ฿50.4

40.67%

Eggs

$2.93 R 48.73

$2.09 ฿70.4

40.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 R 168

$19.07 ฿642

-47.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 R 110

$3.30 ฿111

100.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 R 121

$10.91 ฿368

-33.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.91

$2.93 ฿98.7

-36.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.93

$1.69 ฿56.9

10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.49

$2.25 ฿75.7

-4.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 34.08

$2.08 ฿70.0

-1.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.34

$1.51 ฿50.9

5.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.58

$1.38 ฿46.47

28.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 R 22.52

$1.07 ฿35.91

27.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.06

$0.52 ฿17.49

167.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.70 R 61.4

$4.20 ฿142

-11.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 R 98.7

$18.79 ฿633

-68.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 R 26.26

$1.82 ฿61.4

-13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.68

$2.84 ฿95.7

-26.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 R 39.18

$1.45 ฿48.93

62.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.4 R 1,617

$56.7 ฿1,909

71.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.30

$3.02 ฿102

-59.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.18 R 19.61

$1.02 ฿34.29

15.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 R 150

$3.69 ฿124

144.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.93

$1.47 ฿49.70

-2.04%

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

$35.7K R 593.0K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

33.33%

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

$32.9K R 545.8K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

23.11%

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

$136 R 2,263

$96.4 ฿3,247

41.38%

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

$29.89 R 497

$11.26 ฿380

165.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.20 R 668

$16.85 ฿568

138.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.78 R 727

$67.2 ฿2,266

-34.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 R 176

$7.50 ฿253

41.20%

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

$315 R 5,226

$476 ฿16.0K

-33.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,416 R 73.4K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-60.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 R 972

$62.4 ฿2,102

-6.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 R 718

$28.41 ฿957

52.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 R 1,944

$94.3 ฿3,178

24.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 R 1,696

$85.8 ฿2,892

18.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 R 5,571

$716 ฿24.1K

-53.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 R 6,124

$491 ฿16.5K

-24.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 R 9,643

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-69.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 R 14.8K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-37.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$527 R 8,757

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-87.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$605 R 10.0K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-80.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,364 R 39.3K

$502 ฿16.9K

370.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

5.57

88.51%

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

Last update for Centurion: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Centurion

$369 27%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 33.1% $122

Eating Out

Centurion

$246 18%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 50.4% $124

Groceries & Markets

Centurion

$223 16.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 19.5% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Centurion

$206 15.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 39.7% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Centurion

$144 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15.6% $22

Getting Around

Centurion

$114 8.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 38.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Centurion

$65 4.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 26.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $335 in Centurion and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Centurion vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $223 vs $266, with Centurion cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Centurion

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

12:25 12:25 PM

5 h ahead of Centurion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,580

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Centurion Phuket 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Centurion
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

Centurion vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Centurion. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Centurion is about 4.7 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: $335 in Centurion versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 42% less than in Centurion. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $315 in Centurion versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Safety-wise, Centurion and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Centurion on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.