Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masterton and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Masterton: $841 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Masterton
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Masterton Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Masterton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$841

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $841 in Masterton versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Masterton $841
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,446 in Masterton versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Masterton $1,446
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,051 in Masterton versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Masterton $2,051
Phuket $3,154

Living in Masterton costs roughly 34% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Masterton 38% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.26 NZ$16.44

$4.47 ฿151

107.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 NZ$115

$32.41 ฿1,093

100.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 NZ$15.58

$8.81 ฿297

-0.45%

Cappuccino

$3.35 NZ$5.95

$2.83 ฿95.4

18.37%

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

$1.95 NZ$3.46

$0.87 ฿29.41

124.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 NZ$1.97

$0.49 ฿16.65

126.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.96 NZ$7.04

$2.56 ฿86.3

54.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 NZ$6.04

$3.68 ฿124

-7.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 NZ$2.59

$1.66 ฿55.9

-12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.46 ฿49.31

45.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 NZ$1.95

$1.50 ฿50.5

-26.67%

Eggs

$6.49 NZ$11.51

$2.09 ฿70.5

210.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.59 NZ$15.25

$19.07 ฿643

-54.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 NZ$17.65

$3.30 ฿111

201.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 NZ$26.69

$10.91 ฿368

37.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$2.93 ฿98.9

-24.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 NZ$3.21

$1.69 ฿57.0

7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.04 NZ$5.40

$2.25 ฿75.8

35.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NZ$7.95

$2.08 ฿70.0

115.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 NZ$2.69

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 NZ$1.94

$1.38 ฿46.52

-21.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NZ$3.04

$1.07 ฿35.96

59.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 NZ$0.93

$0.52 ฿17.51

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.90 NZ$35.33

$4.20 ฿142

373.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 NZ$20.39

$18.79 ฿634

-38.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 NZ$1.56

$1.82 ฿61.5

-51.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 NZ$2.17

$2.84 ฿95.8

-57.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 NZ$3.97

$1.45 ฿48.98

53.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 NZ$3.36

$3.02 ฿102

-37.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NZ$3.20

$1.02 ฿34.33

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.98 NZ$60.3

$3.69 ฿125

820.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 NZ$3.08

$1.47 ฿49.76

17.69%

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

$22.9K NZ$40.6K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-14.61%

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

$23.9K NZ$42.4K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-10.55%

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

$56.0 NZ$99.5

$96.4 ฿3,251

-41.85%

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

$29.91 NZ$53.1

$11.26 ฿380

165.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 NZ$94.8

$16.85 ฿568

216.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 NZ$75.2

$67.2 ฿2,268

-36.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.22 NZ$14.59

$10.73 ฿362

-23.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 NZ$16.81

$7.50 ฿253

26.27%

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

$1,038 NZ$1,844

$476 ฿16.1K

118.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K NZ$23.6K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

18.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 NZ$101

$62.4 ฿2,104

-9.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.47 NZ$50.6

$28.41 ฿958

0.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 NZ$186

$94.3 ฿3,181

10.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 NZ$250

$85.8 ฿2,895

64.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,019 NZ$1,809

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-47.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,339 NZ$4,152

$502 ฿16.9K

365.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.57

-3.23%

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

Last update for Masterton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masterton

$293 34.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 9.1% $27

Eating Out

Masterton

$179 21.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 32.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Masterton

$149 17.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 18% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masterton

$139 16.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 10.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Masterton

$61 7.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 34.1% $21

Getting Around

Masterton

$20 * 2.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 256% $51

Accommodation & Living

Masterton

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Masterton pays about 4.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $65 in Masterton vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Masterton

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

14:32 2:32 PM

6 h behind Masterton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,800

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 October 31, 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 October 31, 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

Masterton Phuket 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Masterton
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

Masterton vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Masterton is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Masterton is about 4.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $841 per month in Masterton versus $1,278 in Phuket – Masterton is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $841 in Masterton versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Masterton but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Masterton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Masterton and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.