Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,434 in Centurion versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,285 in Centurion versus $2,089 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,136 in Centurion versus $2,913 in Phuket.

Living in Centurion is roughly 13% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Centurion is 4% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.24 R 358

$4.66 ฿154

377.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.63 R 670

$32.22 ฿1,065

29.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 R 99.5

$8.68 ฿287

-28.80%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 43.99

$2.90 ฿95.8

-5.86%

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

$1.00 R 16.13

$0.84 ฿27.89

19.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.34

$0.49 ฿16.16

81.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R 36.26

$2.48 ฿82.0

-9.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R 40.50

$3.73 ฿123

-32.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 R 20.35

$1.89 ฿62.3

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 R 20.77

$1.41 ฿46.54

-8.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 35.36

$1.62 ฿53.6

35.80%

Eggs

$3.15 R 50.7

$2.24 ฿74.1

40.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 R 166

$19.84 ฿656

-48.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.88 R 111

$3.48 ฿115

97.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.25 R 117

$11.37 ฿376

-36.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R 30.21

$2.90 ฿95.8

-35.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R 29.76

$1.72 ฿57.0

7.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 R 36.98

$2.27 ฿75.1

1.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.06

$2.13 ฿70.4

2.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 R 26.64

$1.47 ฿48.72

12.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.34

$1.42 ฿46.92

37.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 R 22.47

$1.10 ฿36.25

27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 24.49

$0.60 ฿19.76

153.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 R 61.1

$4.31 ฿142

-12.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 R 103

$18.60 ฿615

-65.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 R 26.26

$1.80 ฿59.5

-9.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 R 34.05

$2.97 ฿98.0

-28.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 R 39.65

$2.25 ฿74.2

9.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 R 1,620

$23.49 ฿776

328.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 R 19.53

$3.10 ฿102

-60.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 R 19.62

$1.08 ฿35.56

12.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.14 R 147

$3.87 ฿128

136.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 R 22.82

$1.43 ฿47.16

-0.70%

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

$36.6K R 588.9K

$27.8K ฿918.0K

31.62%

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

$33.6K R 540.9K

$27.0K ฿891.5K

24.47%

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

$146 R 2,344

$105 ฿3,462

38.87%

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

$31.61 R 509

$11.39 ฿376

177.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 R 687

$17.54 ฿580

143.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.99 R 741

$54.3 ฿1,795

-15.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 R 179

$7.78 ฿257

42.80%

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

$319 R 5,140

$576 ฿19.0K

-44.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,504 R 72.5K

$11.6K ฿382.7K

-61.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 R 978

$63.6 ฿2,103

-4.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.61 R 735

$29.10 ฿961

56.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 R 1,970

$96.2 ฿3,179

27.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,735

$90.0 ฿2,974

19.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R 5,623

$733 ฿24.2K

-52.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 R 6,298

$501 ฿16.5K

-21.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$604 R 9,724

$2,126 ฿70.2K

-71.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 R 14.9K

$1,252 ฿41.4K

-26.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$543 R 8,743

$3,534 ฿116.8K

-84.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$638 R 10.3K

$2,622 ฿86.6K

-75.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,456 R 39.6K

$508 ฿16.8K

383.96%

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: September 7, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $349 in Centurion and $733 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 384% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $42.00 in Centurion vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $232 vs $275, with Centurion cheaper for home cooking.

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 13% 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 runs 384% higher in Centurion, 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: $349 in Centurion versus $733 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 328% less than in Centurion. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $319 in Centurion versus $576 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,434 in Centurion, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Centurion. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,265 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Centurion 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Centurion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.