Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Durban $1,130
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Durban $1,748
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Durban $2,366
Phuket $3,154

Durban is about 12% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Durban and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$4.47 ฿151

77.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 652

$32.41 ฿1,094

20.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$8.81 ฿297

-30.19%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.52

$2.83 ฿95.5

-3.53%

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

$1.12 R 18.58

$0.87 ฿29.43

28.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.22

$0.49 ฿16.67

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.48

$2.56 ฿86.4

-5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.39

$3.68 ฿124

-32.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.51

$1.66 ฿56.0

-29.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.75

$1.46 ฿49.35

-30.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.96

$1.50 ฿50.6

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.49

$2.09 ฿70.5

16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$19.07 ฿644

-56.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.6

$3.30 ฿111

61.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$10.91 ฿368

-33.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$2.93 ฿99.0

-33.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$1.69 ฿57.1

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.35

$2.25 ฿75.8

-13.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.42

$2.08 ฿70.1

-20.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.81

$1.51 ฿51.0

2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.32

$1.38 ฿46.56

5.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.41

$1.07 ฿35.99

9.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.96

$0.52 ฿17.52

119.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.7

$4.20 ฿142

-13.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.9

$18.79 ฿634

-74.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.42

$1.82 ฿61.5

-22.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.57

$2.84 ฿95.9

-33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.78

$1.45 ฿49.03

23.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

$56.7 ฿1,913

-62.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$3.02 ฿102

-86.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.59

$1.02 ฿34.36

-25.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 129

$3.69 ฿125

109.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.83

$1.47 ฿49.81

1.36%

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

$35.5K R 591.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

32.54%

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

$32.3K R 538.6K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

21.09%

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

$148 R 2,460

$96.4 ฿3,254

53.22%

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

$35.49 R 591

$11.26 ฿380

215.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 657

$16.85 ฿569

134.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 517

$67.2 ฿2,270

-53.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

$10.73 ฿362

-19.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$7.50 ฿253

-1.47%

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

$317 R 5,274

$476 ฿16.1K

-33.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.5K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-31.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 887

$62.4 ฿2,106

-14.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 508

$28.41 ฿959

7.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,651

$94.3 ฿3,184

5.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,417

$85.8 ฿2,898

-0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,414

$716 ฿24.2K

-37.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,240

$491 ฿16.6K

-23.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.6K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-57.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-48.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-80.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,419

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-81.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

$502 ฿17.0K

154.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

5.57

111.49%

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 31.1% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 44.1% $98

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 37.2% $72

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 79.5% $36

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 116% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $445 in Durban 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 Durban are about 2.5 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 $39 in Durban versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Durban vs $266 in Phuket – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

22:12 10:12 PM

5 h ahead of Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Durban Phuket 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Durban
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

Durban vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Durban 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 Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,130 in Durban and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 13%.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Durban. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,130 in Durban and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Durban – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.