Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hermanus and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Hermanus: $1,118 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Hermanus
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Hermanus Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Hermanus

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,118

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,118 in Hermanus versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Hermanus $1,118
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,727 in Hermanus versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Hermanus $1,727
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,336 in Hermanus versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Hermanus $2,336
Phuket $2,867

Living in Hermanus costs roughly 7% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hermanus 17% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.13 R 216

$4.58 ฿153

186.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.89 R 575

$32.48 ฿1,086

7.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 R 92.1

$8.55 ฿286

-34.62%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R 37.84

$2.72 ฿91.0

-15.44%

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

$1.08 R 17.76

$0.94 ฿31.25

14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.27

$0.49 ฿16.39

77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 R 36.66

$2.59 ฿86.6

-13.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 R 45.61

$3.83 ฿128

-27.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.66

$1.74 ฿58.1

-31.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.47

$1.43 ฿47.82

-21.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.18

$1.53 ฿51.0

15.69%

Eggs

$2.44 R 40.15

$2.17 ฿72.7

12.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 R 137

$19.15 ฿640

-56.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.98 R 82.0

$3.30 ฿110

50.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.04 R 116

$11.14 ฿372

-36.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.07

$2.95 ฿98.5

-40.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.62

$1.68 ฿56.1

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.42

$2.30 ฿76.8

-22.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.10

$2.13 ฿71.3

-19.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.14

$1.53 ฿51.1

-3.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.63

$1.36 ฿45.55

5.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 R 19.78

$1.12 ฿37.44

7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R 19.28

$0.55 ฿18.24

112.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 R 55.1

$4.26 ฿142

-21.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 R 116

$18.19 ฿608

-61.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R 23.81

$1.74 ฿58.2

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.79 ฿93.3

-30.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.34

$2.22 ฿74.1

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.25

$2.91 ฿97.3

-78.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 R 14.46

$1.01 ฿33.79

-12.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.54 R 190

$3.83 ฿128

201.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 24.02

$1.49 ฿49.85

-2.01%

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

$36.0K R 593.0K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

34.92%

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

$31.8K R 524.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

19.21%

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

$145 R 2,395

$99.4 ฿3,321

46.31%

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

$35.60 R 587

$11.28 ฿377

215.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.60 R 652

$17.36 ฿580

128.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.12 R 348

$52.3 ฿1,747

-59.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.86 R 228

$10.85 ฿362

27.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 R 102

$7.57 ฿253

-18.23%

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

$245 R 4,032

$558 ฿18.7K

-56.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,463 R 90.0K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-52.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 R 860

$62.9 ฿2,102

-17.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.45 R 535

$28.58 ฿955

13.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,658

$96.1 ฿3,213

4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 R 1,431

$88.1 ฿2,943

-1.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 R 6,524

$729 ฿24.4K

-45.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,923

$460 ฿15.4K

-21.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 R 11.8K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-65.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-41.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$888 R 14.6K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-74.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$659 R 10.9K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-73.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.57

96.41%

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

Last update for Hermanus: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hermanus

$359 32.2%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 28% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hermanus

$221 19.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 42% $93

Groceries & Markets

Hermanus

$197 17.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 35.9% $71

Eating Out

Hermanus

$174 15.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 30.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Hermanus

$122 11%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 1.3% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Hermanus

$34 3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 101% $34

Getting Around

Hermanus

$11 * 1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 256% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $396 in Hermanus and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Hermanus vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $197 vs $268, with Hermanus cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Hermanus

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

17:01 5:01 PM

5 h ahead of Hermanus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,139

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hermanus Phuket 9,520 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hermanus
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

Hermanus vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hermanus is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,677 in Hermanus and $1,811 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $396 in Hermanus versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,118 per month in Hermanus versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,118 in Hermanus versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hermanus but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Hermanus the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Hermanus is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Hermanus 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 Hermanus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.