Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mossel Bay and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Mossel Bay: $1,094 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Mossel Bay
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Mossel Bay Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,094 per month in Mossel Bay vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Mossel Bay $1,094
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,720 per month in Mossel Bay vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Mossel Bay $1,720
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,346 per month in Mossel Bay vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Mossel Bay $2,346
Phuket $3,154

Mossel Bay is about 14% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mossel Bay and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Mossel Bay 20% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.39 R 239

$4.47 ฿151

221.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.69 R 809

$32.41 ฿1,092

50.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 R 141

$8.81 ฿297

-3.41%

Cappuccino

$2.56 R 42.60

$2.83 ฿95.3

-9.54%

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

$1.39 R 23.09

$0.87 ฿29.37

59.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.72

$0.49 ฿16.64

93.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.63

$2.56 ฿86.2

-4.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 R 49.41

$3.68 ฿124

-19.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R 18.20

$1.66 ฿55.9

-33.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.84

$1.46 ฿49.25

-26.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 R 44.53

$1.50 ฿50.4

78.67%

Eggs

$3.14 R 52.1

$2.09 ฿70.4

50.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 R 158

$19.07 ฿642

-49.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 R 87.7

$3.30 ฿111

60.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.90 R 131

$10.91 ฿368

-27.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.18

$2.93 ฿98.7

-33.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 R 21.84

$1.69 ฿56.9

-22.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.59

$2.25 ฿75.7

-20.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.63

$2.08 ฿70.0

-2.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 R 24.02

$1.51 ฿50.9

-3.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.18

$1.38 ฿46.47

23.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.13

$1.07 ฿35.91

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.22

$0.52 ฿17.49

134.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.7

$4.20 ฿142

-11.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.92 R 81.7

$18.79 ฿633

-73.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 R 34.17

$1.82 ฿61.4

13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 R 30.98

$2.84 ฿95.7

-34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.71

$1.45 ฿48.93

-5.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.23

$3.02 ฿102

-79.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.72

$1.02 ฿34.29

-12.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.37 R 189

$3.69 ฿124

208.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.87

$1.47 ฿49.70

-2.04%

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

$28.6K R 475.1K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

6.83%

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

$27.1K R 449.5K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

1.39%

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

$109 R 1,805

$96.4 ฿3,247

12.77%

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

$17.95 R 298

$11.26 ฿380

59.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.87 R 712

$16.85 ฿568

154.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.03 R 349

$67.2 ฿2,266

-68.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.91 R 181

$10.73 ฿361

1.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$7.50 ฿253

-4.27%

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

$275 R 4,573

$476 ฿16.0K

-42.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 R 89.8K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-52.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.97 R 797

$62.4 ฿2,102

-23.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.02 R 349

$28.41 ฿957

-26.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 R 1,638

$94.3 ฿3,178

4.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 R 1,106

$85.8 ฿2,892

-22.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 R 8,350

$716 ฿24.1K

-29.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 R 6,051

$491 ฿16.5K

-25.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 R 17.2K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-46.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 R 11.4K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-52.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$597 R 9,913

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-85.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$610 R 10.1K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-79.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,505 R 25.0K

$502 ฿16.9K

199.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

5.57

110.95%

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

Last update for Mossel Bay: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mossel Bay

$364 33.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 34.8% $127

Groceries & Markets

Mossel Bay

$210 19.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 27.1% $57

Eating Out

Mossel Bay

$199 18.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 38.8% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mossel Bay

$169 15.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 26.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Mossel Bay

$105 9.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mossel Bay

$35 3.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 132% $47

Getting Around

Mossel Bay

$11 * 1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 571% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $503 in Mossel Bay 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 Mossel Bay are about 3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Mossel Bay versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $210 in Mossel Bay vs $266 in Phuket – so Mossel Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Mossel Bay

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

12:13 12:13 PM

5 h ahead of Mossel Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,000

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mossel Bay Phuket 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mossel 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,094 in Mossel Bay, $1,278 in Phuket – Mossel Bay comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,640 per month in Mossel Bay 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 Mossel Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $503 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Mossel Bay and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,094 in Mossel Bay and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mossel Bay – 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.