Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newcastle, South Africa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle: $1,020 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
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Newcastle Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Newcastle

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,020

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Newcastle vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Newcastle $1,020
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,627 per month in Newcastle vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Newcastle $1,627
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $2,235 per month in Newcastle vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Newcastle $2,235
Phuket $3,115

Newcastle is about 21% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Newcastle and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Newcastle 25% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.14 R 150

$4.39 ฿148

108.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.28 R 597

$32.31 ฿1,086

12.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 R 87.7

$8.70 ฿293

-38.74%

Cappuccino

$2.28 R 37.49

$2.72 ฿91.6

-16.18%

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

$1.03 R 16.87

$0.93 ฿31.28

10.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R 13.28

$0.50 ฿16.79

62.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.83

$2.53 ฿85.1

-6.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 R 55.5

$3.63 ฿122

-6.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.56

$1.74 ฿58.5

-31.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.08

$1.45 ฿48.77

-24.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 R 21.97

$1.50 ฿50.5

-10.67%

Eggs

$1.83 R 30.16

$2.17 ฿73.0

-15.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 R 112

$19.09 ฿642

-64.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R 81.8

$3.40 ฿114

46.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.43 R 122

$10.90 ฿366

-31.83%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 R 13.89

$2.94 ฿98.9

-71.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 R 16.87

$1.69 ฿56.9

-39.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R 15.28

$2.19 ฿73.8

-57.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.61

$2.12 ฿71.4

-35.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 R 15.73

$1.46 ฿49.03

-34.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.29

$1.37 ฿45.99

-10.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R 12.65

$1.08 ฿36.17

-28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R 10.04

$0.55 ฿18.34

10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 R 53.0

$4.43 ฿149

-27.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.93 R 48.14

$18.25 ฿614

-83.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R 22.56

$1.77 ฿59.6

-22.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.42

$2.88 ฿96.8

-69.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 R 26.16

$1.45 ฿48.66

9.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.18

$1.51 ฿50.9

-79.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.57

$0.78 ฿26.08

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.48 R 238

$3.84 ฿129

277.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.49 ฿50.0

2.68%

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

$35.8K R 589.4K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

33.28%

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

$34.1K R 561.5K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

29.56%

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

$154 R 2,534

$97.8 ฿3,288

57.48%

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

$37.56 R 618

$11.29 ฿380

232.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.63 R 603

$17.19 ฿578

113.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.65 R 537

$68.3 ฿2,297

-52.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.38 R 171

$10.92 ฿367

-4.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 120

$7.43 ฿250

-1.88%

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

$265 R 4,364

$530 ฿17.8K

-49.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,178 R 101.6K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

-67.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 R 867

$61.7 ฿2,073

-14.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 R 527

$28.25 ฿950

13.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 R 1,509

$96.0 ฿3,228

-4.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 R 1,351

$86.8 ฿2,919

-5.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 R 7,135

$721 ฿24.2K

-39.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 R 5,274

$509 ฿17.1K

-37.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$759 R 12.5K

$1,950 ฿65.6K

-61.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 R 12.4K

$1,397 ฿47.0K

-46.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$676 R 11.1K

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-83.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 R 11.6K

$3,298 ฿110.9K

-78.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

5.57

103.59%

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

Last update for Newcastle: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newcastle

$321 31.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 58.7% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newcastle

$228 22.4%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 44.7% $102

Groceries & Markets

Newcastle

$154 15.1%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 73% $113

Eating Out

Newcastle

$142 14%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 16% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Newcastle

$116 11.4%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 5.5% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Newcastle

$47 4.6%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 76.1% $36

Getting Around

Newcastle

$11 * 1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 529% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Newcastle versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Newcastle versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $154 in Newcastle vs $267 in Phuket – so Newcastle wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Newcastle

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:07 10:07 PM

03:07 3:07 AM

5 h ahead of Newcastle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

363,236

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Newcastle Phuket 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Newcastle
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

Newcastle vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,020 in Newcastle, $1,294 in Phuket – Newcastle comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,529 per month in Newcastle and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Newcastle, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,020 in Newcastle and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Newcastle about 21% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $265 per month in Newcastle and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,020 in Newcastle and $1,294 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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