Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kempton Park and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kempton Park: $1,231 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Kempton Park
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Kempton Park Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kempton Park

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,231

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,231 in Kempton Park versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Kempton Park $1,231
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,889 in Kempton Park versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Kempton Park $1,889
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,547 in Kempton Park versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Kempton Park $2,547
Phuket $3,154

Living in Kempton Park costs roughly 4% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kempton Park 10% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.01 R 151

$4.47 ฿151

101.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.26 R 623

$32.41 ฿1,093

14.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.98 R 100.0

$8.81 ฿297

-32.12%

Cappuccino

$2.42 R 40.46

$2.83 ฿95.4

-14.49%

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

$1.04 R 17.30

$0.87 ฿29.41

19.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R 13.61

$0.49 ฿16.65

65.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 R 41.24

$2.56 ฿86.3

-3.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 47.14

$3.68 ฿124

-23.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 R 22.79

$1.66 ฿55.9

-18.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.30

$1.46 ฿49.31

-24.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.46

$1.50 ฿50.5

21.33%

Eggs

$2.53 R 42.25

$2.09 ฿70.5

21.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 R 142

$19.07 ฿643

-55.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.30 R 88.5

$3.30 ฿111

60.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 153

$10.91 ฿368

-15.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 31.31

$2.93 ฿98.9

-36.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.98

$1.69 ฿57.0

2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.54

$2.25 ฿75.8

-21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 R 33.08

$2.08 ฿70.0

-4.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.03

$1.51 ฿51.0

15.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.39

$1.38 ฿46.52

27.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.64

$1.07 ฿35.96

15.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.54

$0.52 ฿17.51

148.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 R 56.4

$4.20 ฿142

-19.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.30 R 88.6

$18.79 ฿634

-71.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 R 27.71

$1.82 ฿61.5

-8.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R 40.41

$2.84 ฿95.8

-14.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 R 26.11

$1.45 ฿48.98

7.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.1 R 1,020

$56.7 ฿1,912

7.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.19

$3.02 ฿102

-89.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 R 13.71

$1.02 ฿34.33

-19.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.51 R 242

$3.69 ฿125

293.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.91

$1.47 ฿49.76

5.44%

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

$36.3K R 606.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

35.57%

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

$34.1K R 570.2K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

27.85%

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

$182 R 3,040

$96.4 ฿3,251

88.87%

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

$39.32 R 657

$11.26 ฿380

249.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.46 R 643

$16.85 ฿568

128.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.63 R 645

$67.2 ฿2,268

-42.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 R 185

$10.73 ฿362

3.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 R 141

$7.50 ฿253

12.80%

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

$263 R 4,396

$476 ฿16.1K

-44.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,524 R 92.3K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-50.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 R 893

$62.4 ฿2,104

-14.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.01 R 552

$28.41 ฿958

16.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 R 1,535

$94.3 ฿3,181

-2.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 R 1,406

$85.8 ฿2,895

-1.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$306 R 5,118

$716 ฿24.2K

-57.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 R 6,189

$491 ฿16.6K

-24.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 R 12.5K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-61.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$750 R 12.5K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-47.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$862 R 14.4K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-79.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$690 R 11.5K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-77.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$630 R 10.5K

$502 ฿16.9K

25.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

5.57

101.97%

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

Last update for Kempton Park: 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

Kempton Park

$370 30.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 32.5% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kempton Park

$260 21.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 52.1% $135

Groceries & Markets

Kempton Park

$211 17.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 26.1% $55

Eating Out

Kempton Park

$144 11.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Kempton Park

$118 9.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 3.2% $3.8

Getting Around

Kempton Park

$72 5.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1.6% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Kempton Park

$56 4.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 48% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $306 in Kempton Park and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kempton Park pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Kempton Park vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $211 vs $266, with Kempton Park cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Kempton Park

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

17:49 5:49 PM

5 h ahead of Kempton Park

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kempton Park Phuket 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kempton Park
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

Kempton Park vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kempton Park wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kempton Park the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Kempton Park, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $306 in Kempton Park versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $37 in Kempton Park. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Kempton Park is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Kempton Park and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.