Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hillcrest and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,081 per month in Hillcrest vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,081
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,686 per month in Hillcrest vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,686
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Hillcrest vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Hillcrest $2,292
Phuket $3,115

Hillcrest is about 16% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hillcrest and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Hillcrest 20% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 R 130

$4.39 ฿148

79.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.34 R 631

$32.31 ฿1,086

18.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.01 R 98.9

$8.70 ฿293

-30.92%

Cappuccino

$2.71 R 44.65

$2.72 ฿91.6

-0.37%

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

$1.14 R 18.75

$0.93 ฿31.28

22.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 14.75

$0.50 ฿16.79

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.33

$2.53 ฿85.1

-3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R 41.15

$3.63 ฿122

-31.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.33

$1.74 ฿58.5

-32.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.18

$1.45 ฿48.77

-32.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.50 ฿50.5

Eggs

$2.32 R 38.20

$2.17 ฿73.0

6.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 R 135

$19.09 ฿642

-57.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 R 83.0

$3.40 ฿114

48.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 R 120

$10.90 ฿366

-33.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 R 21.28

$2.94 ฿98.9

-56.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.68

$1.69 ฿56.9

14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.02

$2.19 ฿73.8

-10.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.50

$2.12 ฿71.4

-18.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.05

$1.46 ฿49.03

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.74

$1.37 ฿45.99

5.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 19.83

$1.08 ฿36.17

12.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.76

$0.55 ฿18.34

107.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.0

$4.43 ฿149

-16.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 78.9

$18.25 ฿614

-73.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.16

$1.77 ฿59.6

-20.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R 32.28

$2.88 ฿96.8

-31.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.25

$1.45 ฿48.66

6.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 R 7.16

$1.51 ฿50.9

-70.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.64

$0.78 ฿26.08

-8.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 R 127

$3.84 ฿129

100.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 23.91

$1.49 ฿50.0

-2.68%

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

$35.2K R 579.2K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

30.98%

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

$33.1K R 543.7K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

25.46%

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

$153 R 2,517

$97.8 ฿3,288

56.46%

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

$35.61 R 586

$11.29 ฿380

215.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.04 R 642

$17.19 ฿578

127.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 R 543

$68.3 ฿2,297

-51.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.55 R 223

$10.92 ฿367

24.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 120

$7.43 ฿250

-1.88%

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

$310 R 5,106

$530 ฿17.8K

-41.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,429 R 122.2K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

-60.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 R 849

$61.7 ฿2,073

-16.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.96 R 460

$28.25 ฿950

-1.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 R 1,595

$96.0 ฿3,228

0.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 R 1,302

$86.8 ฿2,919

-8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 R 6,195

$721 ฿24.2K

-47.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,800

$509 ฿17.1K

-30.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 R 10.5K

$1,950 ฿65.6K

-67.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.0K

$1,397 ฿47.0K

-47.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.6K

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-81.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,455

$3,298 ฿110.9K

-82.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

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 Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hillcrest

$353 32.6%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 44.3% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hillcrest

$228 21.1%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 44.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

Hillcrest

$189 17.5%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 41% $78

Eating Out

Hillcrest

$139 12.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 14% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Hillcrest

$115 10.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 6.7% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Hillcrest

$48 4.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 74.8% $36

Getting Around

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 554% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Hillcrest versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Hillcrest vs $267 in Phuket – so Hillcrest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:41 5:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

5 h ahead of Hillcrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hillcrest Phuket 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hillcrest
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

Hillcrest vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,081 in Hillcrest, $1,294 in Phuket – Hillcrest comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,622 per month in Hillcrest and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $721 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,081 in Hillcrest and $1,294 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,081 in Hillcrest to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.