Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manukau and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,914 in Manukau, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Manukau
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Manukau Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Manukau

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,914

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,914 per month in Manukau vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Manukau $1,914
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,853 per month in Manukau vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Manukau $2,853
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,792 per month in Manukau vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Manukau $3,792
Phuket $3,154

Manukau costs about 50% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Manukau sits 41% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.06 NZ$21.42

$4.47 ฿151

169.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 NZ$121

$32.41 ฿1,093

109.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.28 NZ$14.71

$8.81 ฿297

-6.02%

Cappuccino

$3.48 NZ$6.19

$2.83 ฿95.4

22.97%

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

$2.04 NZ$3.63

$0.87 ฿29.41

134.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$0.49 ฿16.65

255.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.22 NZ$11.05

$2.56 ฿86.3

142.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 NZ$9.98

$3.68 ฿124

52.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 NZ$2.56

$1.66 ฿55.9

-13.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 NZ$2.31

$1.46 ฿49.31

-10.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 NZ$3.37

$1.50 ฿50.5

26.67%

Eggs

$5.26 NZ$9.34

$2.09 ฿70.5

151.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.52 NZ$9.80

$19.07 ฿643

-71.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.46 NZ$13.24

$3.30 ฿111

126.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.96 NZ$21.23

$10.91 ฿368

9.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 NZ$4.55

$2.93 ฿98.9

-12.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.84

$1.69 ฿57.0

27.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 NZ$5.27

$2.25 ฿75.8

32.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.72 NZ$10.16

$2.08 ฿70.0

175.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 NZ$3.70

$1.51 ฿51.0

38.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 NZ$2.55

$1.38 ฿46.52

3.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 NZ$3.57

$1.07 ฿35.96

87.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 NZ$1.62

$0.52 ฿17.51

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.51 NZ$45.30

$4.20 ฿142

507.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.51 NZ$18.65

$18.79 ฿634

-44.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 NZ$5.04

$1.82 ฿61.5

56.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 NZ$5.90

$2.84 ฿95.8

16.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 NZ$3.29

$1.45 ฿48.98

27.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 NZ$197

$56.7 ฿1,912

96.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 NZ$4.05

$3.02 ฿102

-24.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 NZ$3.45

$1.02 ฿34.33

90.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.50 NZ$57.7

$3.69 ฿125

780.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 NZ$3.06

$1.47 ฿49.76

17.01%

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

$27.3K NZ$48.4K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

1.85%

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

$21.8K NZ$38.8K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-18.17%

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

$58.0 NZ$103

$96.4 ฿3,251

-39.81%

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

$26.67 NZ$47.35

$11.26 ฿380

136.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 NZ$90.3

$16.85 ฿568

201.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.35 NZ$77.0

$67.2 ฿2,268

-35.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 NZ$21.92

$7.50 ฿253

64.67%

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

$687 NZ$1,220

$476 ฿16.1K

44.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K NZ$34.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

72.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 NZ$111

$62.4 ฿2,104

-0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.79 NZ$68.9

$28.41 ฿958

36.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 NZ$164

$94.3 ฿3,181

-1.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 NZ$198

$85.8 ฿2,895

30.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 NZ$1,840

$716 ฿24.2K

44.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 NZ$1,669

$491 ฿16.6K

91.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 NZ$2,912

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-14.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,494 NZ$2,653

$1,431 ฿48.3K

4.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,976 NZ$8,834

$4,175 ฿140.9K

19.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,073 NZ$5,457

$3,045 ฿102.7K

0.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,825 NZ$3,239

$502 ฿16.9K

263.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Manukau: 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

Manukau

$940 49.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 47.8% $449

Groceries & Markets

Manukau

$282 14.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 5.6% $16

Eating Out

Manukau

$221 11.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 44.8% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Manukau

$137 7.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manukau

$136 7.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 8.1% $11

Getting Around

Manukau

$131 6.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 46% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Manukau

$68 3.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 20.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,036 in Manukau 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 Manukau are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Manukau versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $282 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Manukau

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

19:44 7:44 PM

6 h behind Manukau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

362,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manukau Phuket 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Manukau
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

Manukau vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,914 in Manukau, $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 33% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,871 per month in Manukau 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 $1,036 in Manukau.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Manukau, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Manukau and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Manukau at $1,914. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Manukau 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, Manukau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.