Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $992 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $992 per month in East London vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

East London $992
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,611 per month in East London vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

East London $1,611
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,230 per month in East London vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

East London $2,230
Phuket $3,154

East London is about 22% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both East London and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – East London 27% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 R 151

$4.47 ฿151

103.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.23 R 635

$32.41 ฿1,092

17.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 R 92.5

$8.81 ฿297

-36.78%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 34.01

$2.83 ฿95.3

-27.56%

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

$1.04 R 17.30

$0.87 ฿29.37

19.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.68

$0.49 ฿16.64

55.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 44.62

$2.56 ฿86.2

5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 R 53.3

$3.68 ฿124

-12.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.67

$1.66 ฿55.9

-28.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 R 14.51

$1.46 ฿49.25

-40.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.94

$1.50 ฿50.4

-4.00%

Eggs

$2.27 R 37.75

$2.09 ฿70.4

8.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 R 139

$19.07 ฿642

-56.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 R 91.2

$3.30 ฿111

66.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 R 111

$10.91 ฿368

-38.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.26

$2.93 ฿98.7

-50.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.39

$1.69 ฿56.9

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.12

$2.25 ฿75.7

-27.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.81

$2.08 ฿70.0

-31.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.84

$1.51 ฿50.9

11.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.69

$1.38 ฿46.47

3.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.45

$1.07 ฿35.91

9.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.79

$0.52 ฿17.49

82.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 R 47.99

$4.20 ฿142

-31.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.70 R 78.0

$18.79 ฿633

-74.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.76

$1.82 ฿61.4

-34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.35

$2.84 ฿95.7

-65.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 R 24.48

$1.45 ฿48.93

1.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.85 R 778

$56.7 ฿1,909

-17.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.27

$3.02 ฿102

-59.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.58

$1.02 ฿34.29

-54.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 139

$3.69 ฿124

127.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.41

$1.47 ฿49.70

-8.16%

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

$34.7K R 575.7K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

29.48%

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

$29.3K R 486.3K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

9.71%

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

$122 R 2,030

$96.4 ฿3,247

26.91%

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

$32.64 R 542

$11.26 ฿380

189.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.35 R 736

$16.85 ฿568

163.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.51 R 656

$67.2 ฿2,266

-41.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 R 75.4

$7.50 ฿253

-39.47%

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

$177 R 2,941

$476 ฿16.0K

-62.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,438 R 90.3K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-51.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 R 944

$62.4 ฿2,102

-8.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.80 R 545

$28.41 ฿957

15.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 R 1,213

$94.3 ฿3,178

-22.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 R 1,580

$85.8 ฿2,892

10.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,822

$716 ฿24.1K

-59.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R 4,161

$491 ฿16.5K

-48.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 R 9,011

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-71.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 R 10.5K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-55.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,664 R 27.6K

$502 ฿16.9K

231.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for East London: 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

East London

$251 25.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 95.9% $240

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East London

$199 20.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 37.5% $75

Groceries & Markets

East London

$180 18.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 48.2% $87

Eating Out

East London

$141 14.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

East London

$116 11.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5% $5.8

Getting Around

East London

$56 5.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 25.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

East London

$49 4.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 69.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $290 in East London 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 East London are about 3.3 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 $38 in East London versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $180 in East London vs $266 in Phuket – so East London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 East London

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

11:38 11:38 AM

5 h ahead of East London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,007

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

East London Phuket 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

East London
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

East London vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $992 in East London, $1,278 in Phuket – East London comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,487 per month in East London 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 East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $177 per month in East London and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $992, than in Phuket at $1,278. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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