Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kerikeri and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,901 in Kerikeri, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Kerikeri
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Kerikeri Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kerikeri

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,901

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,901 per month in Kerikeri vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Kerikeri $1,901
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,858 per month in Kerikeri vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Kerikeri $2,858
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,815 per month in Kerikeri vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Kerikeri $3,815
Phuket $3,154

Kerikeri costs about 49% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kerikeri sits 40% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 NZ$24.84

$4.47 ฿151

212.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 NZ$122

$32.41 ฿1,093

112.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 NZ$16.32

$8.81 ฿297

4.31%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.96

$2.83 ฿95.4

18.37%

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

$2.05 NZ$3.64

$0.87 ฿29.41

135.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 NZ$3.16

$0.49 ฿16.65

263.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 NZ$11.76

$2.56 ฿86.3

158.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.72 NZ$11.93

$3.68 ฿124

82.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 NZ$3.42

$1.66 ฿55.9

16.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.94

$1.46 ฿49.31

52.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 NZ$3.35

$1.50 ฿50.5

26.00%

Eggs

$6.31 NZ$11.21

$2.09 ฿70.5

201.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 NZ$14.05

$19.07 ฿643

-58.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.18 NZ$18.06

$3.30 ฿111

208.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.40 NZ$30.89

$10.91 ฿368

59.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 NZ$5.09

$2.93 ฿98.9

-2.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 NZ$3.87

$1.69 ฿57.0

28.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NZ$5.33

$2.25 ฿75.8

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 NZ$10.67

$2.08 ฿70.0

188.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 NZ$3.68

$1.51 ฿51.0

37.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.71

$1.38 ฿46.52

10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 NZ$3.50

$1.07 ฿35.96

84.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 NZ$0.97

$0.52 ฿17.51

3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.72 NZ$49.22

$4.20 ฿142

560.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 NZ$18.76

$18.79 ฿634

-43.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 NZ$5.13

$1.82 ฿61.5

58.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 NZ$6.08

$2.84 ฿95.8

20.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$1.45 ฿48.98

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 NZ$189

$56.7 ฿1,912

87.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 NZ$3.11

$3.02 ฿102

-42.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 NZ$2.94

$1.02 ฿34.33

62.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.70 NZ$58.1

$3.69 ฿125

786.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.87

$1.47 ฿49.76

10.20%

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

$26.7K NZ$47.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-0.17%

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

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-17.14%

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

$119 NZ$212

$96.4 ฿3,251

23.73%

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

$27.03 NZ$48.00

$11.26 ฿380

140.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 NZ$90.1

$16.85 ฿568

201.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.13 NZ$67.7

$67.2 ฿2,268

-43.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 NZ$18.35

$7.50 ฿253

37.87%

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

$1,059 NZ$1,880

$476 ฿16.1K

122.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K NZ$34.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

72.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.4 NZ$141

$62.4 ฿2,104

27.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.58 NZ$59.6

$28.41 ฿958

18.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 NZ$170

$94.3 ฿3,181

1.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$198

$85.8 ฿2,895

29.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$968 NZ$1,719

$716 ฿24.2K

35.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$800 NZ$1,420

$491 ฿16.6K

62.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 NZ$2,876

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-15.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 NZ$2,286

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-9.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,323 NZ$7,676

$4,175 ฿140.9K

3.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,871 NZ$5,098

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-5.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,793 NZ$10.3K

$502 ฿16.9K

1053.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

5.57

-3.59%

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

Last update for Kerikeri: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kerikeri

$800 42.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 38.6% $309

Groceries & Markets

Kerikeri

$337 17.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 20.9% $70

Eating Out

Kerikeri

$242 12.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 49.6% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kerikeri

$197 10.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 36.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Kerikeri

$144 7.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15.3% $22

Getting Around

Kerikeri

$123 6.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 42.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Kerikeri

$59 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 39.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $968 in Kerikeri 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 Kerikeri are about 12 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Kerikeri versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Kerikeri

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

10:48 10:48 AM

6 h behind Kerikeri

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

79,308

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kerikeri Phuket 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kerikeri
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

Kerikeri vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kerikeri costs about 49% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,852 per month in Kerikeri and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $968 in Kerikeri.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,059 per month in Kerikeri and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Kerikeri at $1,901. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kerikeri it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kerikeri makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.