Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fourways and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Fourways: $1,031 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Fourways, South Africa
Phuket, Thailand
Fourways
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,031
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,031 per month in Fourways vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Fourways $1,031
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,591 per month in Fourways vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Fourways $1,591
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,151 per month in Fourways vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Fourways $2,151
  • Phuket $3,154

Fourways is about 19% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fourways and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Fourways 24% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fourways
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.11 R 152
$4.47 ฿151
103.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.79 R 612
$32.41 ฿1,094
13.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.32 R 88.5
$8.81 ฿297
-39.61%
Cappuccino
$2.18 R 36.26
$2.83 ฿95.5
-22.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 R 17.01
$0.87 ฿29.43
17.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 R 13.41
$0.49 ฿16.67
65.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.35 R 39.14
$2.56 ฿86.4
-8.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 R 45.60
$3.68 ฿124
-25.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fourways
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 R 19.37
$1.66 ฿56.0
-30.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.12 R 18.68
$1.46 ฿49.35
-23.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 R 27.74
$1.50 ฿50.6
11.33%
Eggs
$2.40 R 39.96
$2.09 ฿70.5
14.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.56 R 126
$19.07 ฿644
-60.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.35 R 72.5
$3.30 ฿111
31.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.02 R 117
$10.91 ฿368
-35.66%
Apples (1kg)
$1.38 R 23.03
$2.93 ฿99.0
-52.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 R 26.50
$1.69 ฿57.1
-5.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.76 R 29.31
$2.25 ฿75.8
-21.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.54 R 25.64
$2.08 ฿70.1
-25.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 R 18.65
$1.51 ฿51.0
-25.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.21 R 20.16
$1.38 ฿46.56
-12.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 R 20.33
$1.07 ฿35.99
14.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.09 R 18.15
$0.52 ฿17.52
109.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.19 R 53.1
$4.20 ฿142
-24.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.01 R 83.3
$18.79 ฿634
-73.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 R 25.37
$1.82 ฿61.5
-16.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 R 32.60
$2.84 ฿95.9
-30.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Fourways
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.45 ฿49.03
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.29 R 4.76
$3.02 ฿102
-90.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.80 R 13.34
$1.02 ฿34.36
-21.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.28 R 238
$3.69 ฿125
286.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.56 R 25.91
$1.47 ฿49.81
6.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.7K R 477.4K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
7.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K R 444.2K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
0.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fourways
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$87.3 R 1,452
$96.4 ฿3,254
-9.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.98 R 615
$11.26 ฿380
228.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.87 R 613
$16.85 ฿569
118.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fourways
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.58 R 542
$67.2 ฿2,270
-51.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.27 R 271
$10.73 ฿362
51.63%
Cinema Ticket
$7.12 R 118
$7.50 ฿253
-5.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fourways
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$256 R 4,259
$476 ฿16.1K
-46.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,815 R 130.0K
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-30.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fourways
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.0 R 882
$62.4 ฿2,106
-14.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.76 R 528
$28.41 ฿959
11.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.2 R 1,285
$94.3 ฿3,184
-18.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.3 R 1,403
$85.8 ฿2,898
-1.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fourways
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$386 R 6,419
$716 ฿24.2K
-46.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$387 R 6,436
$491 ฿16.6K
-21.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$740 R 12.3K
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-61.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$704 R 11.7K
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-50.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fourways
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,572 R 26.2K
$502 ฿17.0K
213.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
5.57
103.59%

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

Last update for Fourways: 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
Fourways
$387
Phuket
$491 26.9% $104
Groceries & Markets
Fourways
$181
Phuket
$266 46.9% $85
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fourways
$161
Phuket
$124 22.7% $37
Eating Out
Fourways
$140
Phuket
$122 12.8% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Fourways
$111
Phuket
$122 10% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Fourways
$47
Phuket
$82 75.7% $35
Getting Around
Fourways
$4.3 *
Phuket
$71 1541% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $386 in Fourways 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 Fourways are about 3.1 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 $37 in Fourways versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $181 in Fourways vs $266 in Phuket – so Fourways wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Fourways
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
12:27 12:27 PM
17:27 5:27 PM
5 h ahead of Fourways
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Fourways Phuket 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fourways
  • 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
Fourways vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Fourways or Phuket?
Phuket costs about 24% more than Fourways, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Fourways and in Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,546 per month in Fourways and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Fourways or Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Fourways, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $716 in Phuket.
How do dining costs compare in Fourways and in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Fourways and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Fourways or in Phuket?
Groceries cost about 47% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Fourways or in Phuket?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,031 in Fourways and $1,278 in Phuket. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Fourways or Phuket?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fourways costs $1,031 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Fourways compared to Phuket?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

Fourways vs other spots: cost of living compared

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