Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Cook Islands and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,533 in the Cook Islands, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in the Cook Islands
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Cook Islands Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,533

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: The Cook Islands is 32% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 28.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: The Cook Islands is 21.2% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 11.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.04 NZ$19.67

$4.35 ฿146

153.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 NZ$99.5

$32.45 ฿1,087

72.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.96 NZ$12.41

$8.42 ฿282

-17.34%

Cappuccino

$3.46 NZ$6.16

$2.81 ฿94.0

23.13%

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

$2.44 NZ$4.35

$0.87 ฿29.29

180.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 NZ$4.30

$0.46 ฿15.39

423.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 NZ$9.97

$2.59 ฿86.6

116.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 NZ$8.87

$3.64 ฿122

36.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 NZ$4.07

$1.71 ฿57.2

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 NZ$5.55

$1.45 ฿48.42

114.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.56 ฿52.3

10.90%

Eggs

$5.49 NZ$9.78

$2.10 ฿70.3

161.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 NZ$15.99

$19.53 ฿654

-54.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 NZ$14.13

$3.40 ฿114

133.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 NZ$17.70

$11.14 ฿373

-10.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 NZ$5.08

$2.83 ฿94.8

0.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 NZ$2.95

$1.62 ฿54.3

2.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 NZ$6.01

$2.22 ฿74.5

51.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.86 NZ$15.80

$2.15 ฿71.9

312.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 NZ$4.87

$1.49 ฿49.95

83.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 NZ$4.06

$1.33 ฿44.40

71.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 NZ$4.02

$1.07 ฿35.72

111.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 NZ$5.09

$0.51 ฿17.01

460.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.19 NZ$19.94

$4.38 ฿147

155.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 NZ$22.05

$18.77 ฿629

-34.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 NZ$5.88

$1.74 ฿58.3

89.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 NZ$8.36

$2.78 ฿92.9

68.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 NZ$5.01

$2.17 ฿72.6

29.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.31 NZ$34.40

$3.02 ฿101

539.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.83 NZ$60.3

$3.71 ฿124

811.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 NZ$3.46

$1.43 ฿47.88

35.66%

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

$11.2K NZ$19.9K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

-57.66%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

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

$104 NZ$186

$96.7 ฿3,236

7.86%

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

$46.77 NZ$83.3

$11.41 ฿382

309.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$101 NZ$180

$17.11 ฿573

490.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

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

$555 ฿18.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$689 NZ$1,228

$735 ฿24.6K

-6.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 NZ$1,265

$458 ฿15.3K

54.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 NZ$692

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-81.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 NZ$1,106

$1,187 ฿39.7K

-47.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$945 NZ$1,684

$2,491 ฿83.4K

-62.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,914 NZ$6,974

$501 ฿16.8K

681.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for the Cook Islands: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cook Islands

$710 45.3%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 35.5% $252

Groceries & Markets

Cook Islands

$368 23.5%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 27.2% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cook Islands

$252 16.1%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 50.3% $127

Eating Out

Cook Islands

$208 13.3%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 42.7% $89

Getting Around

Cook Islands

$31 * 2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 28.5% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Cook Islands

- * 0%

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Cook Islands

- * 0%

Phuket

$125 10.4%

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

Good to know

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

17:12 5:12 PM

17 h ahead of the Cook Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,222

79,308

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.501 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cook Islands Phuket 11,550 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cook Islands
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

Cook Islands vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Cook Islands and Phuket

THB, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Cook Islands

Phuket

Cook Islands

Phuket

Cook Islands vs other spots: cost of living compared

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