Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeffreys Bay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeffreys Bay: $1,035 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Jeffreys Bay
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Jeffreys Bay Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Jeffreys Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,035

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,035 in Jeffreys Bay versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Jeffreys Bay $1,035
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,605 in Jeffreys Bay versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Jeffreys Bay $1,605
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,176 in Jeffreys Bay versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Jeffreys Bay $2,176
Phuket $3,154

Living in Jeffreys Bay costs roughly 19% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jeffreys Bay 24% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.76 R 129

$4.47 ฿151

73.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.32 R 455

$32.41 ฿1,093

-15.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 99.2

$8.81 ฿297

-32.35%

Cappuccino

$1.82 R 30.22

$2.83 ฿95.4

-35.69%

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

$0.78 R 12.91

$0.87 ฿29.40

-10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 R 10.77

$0.49 ฿16.65

32.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 R 33.65

$2.56 ฿86.3

-21.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.40

$3.68 ฿124

-47.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.85

$1.66 ฿55.9

-28.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 R 16.89

$1.46 ฿49.29

-30.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.57

$1.50 ฿50.5

-1.33%

Eggs

$2.75 R 45.77

$2.09 ฿70.5

31.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 R 107

$19.07 ฿643

-66.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 R 80.9

$3.30 ฿111

47.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 R 123

$10.91 ฿368

-32.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 R 33.46

$2.93 ฿98.8

-31.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 R 25.03

$1.69 ฿57.0

-11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.38

$2.25 ฿75.7

-24.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.75

$2.08 ฿70.0

-16.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.98

$1.51 ฿51.0

15.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R 20.67

$1.38 ฿46.51

-10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.69

$1.07 ฿35.95

10.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.20

$0.52 ฿17.50

98.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 R 52.8

$4.20 ฿142

-24.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.84 R 63.9

$18.79 ฿634

-79.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R 20.55

$1.82 ฿61.4

-31.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.16

$2.84 ฿95.8

-38.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.62

$1.45 ฿48.97

6.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.57

$3.02 ฿102

-78.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 R 8.50

$1.02 ฿34.32

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.30 R 138

$3.69 ฿124

124.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.82

$1.47 ฿49.75

-6.80%

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

$20.9K R 347.8K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

-21.92%

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

$17.6K R 292.1K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

-34.21%

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

$126 R 2,094

$96.4 ฿3,250

30.66%

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

$34.35 R 571

$11.26 ฿380

205.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.62 R 759

$16.85 ฿568

170.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.92 R 531

$67.2 ฿2,268

-52.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.03 R 100

$10.73 ฿362

-43.80%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 R 52.0

$7.50 ฿253

-58.27%

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

$138 R 2,304

$476 ฿16.1K

-70.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,108 R 101.6K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

-45.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 R 1,195

$62.4 ฿2,103

15.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.68 R 627

$28.41 ฿958

32.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,876

$94.3 ฿3,180

19.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 R 1,626

$85.8 ฿2,894

13.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 R 6,485

$716 ฿24.1K

-45.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 R 5,566

$491 ฿16.6K

-31.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 R 12.4K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-61.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$705 R 11.7K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-50.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$884 R 14.7K

$4,175 ฿140.8K

-78.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$696 R 11.6K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-77.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

5.57

114.36%

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

Last update for Jeffreys Bay: 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

Jeffreys Bay

$335 32.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 46.7% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeffreys Bay

$206 19.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 39.5% $81

Groceries & Markets

Jeffreys Bay

$181 17.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 46.7% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Jeffreys Bay

$144 13.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15.3% $22

Eating Out

Jeffreys Bay

$122 11.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Jeffreys Bay

$38 3.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 115% $44

Getting Around

Jeffreys Bay

$9.4 * 0.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 655% $61

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 $390 in Jeffreys Bay and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Jeffreys Bay vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $266 per month, with Jeffreys Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Jeffreys Bay

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

12:54 12:54 PM

5 h ahead of Jeffreys Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,107

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.65 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jeffreys Bay Phuket 9,000 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Jeffreys Bay
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

Jeffreys Bay vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeffreys Bay is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,552 in Jeffreys Bay and $1,917 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: $390 in Jeffreys Bay versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,035 per month in Jeffreys Bay versus $1,278 in Phuket – Jeffreys Bay is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Jeffreys Bay gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.