Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Shore and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,123 in North Shore, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in North Shore
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North Shore Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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North Shore

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,123

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,123 in North Shore versus $1,278 in Phuket.

North Shore $2,123
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,945 in North Shore versus $2,216 in Phuket.

North Shore $2,945
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,766 in North Shore versus $3,154 in Phuket.

North Shore $3,766
Phuket $3,154

Living in North Shore is roughly 66% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: North Shore is 56% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 NZ$24.86

$4.47 ฿151

212.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 NZ$134

$32.41 ฿1,092

132.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 NZ$15.11

$8.81 ฿297

-3.41%

Cappuccino

$3.44 NZ$6.11

$2.83 ฿95.3

21.55%

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

$1.99 NZ$3.54

$0.87 ฿29.37

128.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 NZ$3.24

$0.49 ฿16.64

273.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 NZ$11.86

$2.56 ฿86.2

160.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 NZ$10.25

$3.68 ฿124

56.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 NZ$2.88

$1.66 ฿55.9

-2.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 NZ$2.38

$1.46 ฿49.25

-8.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 NZ$3.23

$1.50 ฿50.4

21.33%

Eggs

$5.76 NZ$10.23

$2.09 ฿70.4

175.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.01 NZ$14.23

$19.07 ฿642

-58.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 NZ$17.78

$3.30 ฿111

203.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.77 NZ$20.92

$10.91 ฿368

7.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 NZ$4.77

$2.93 ฿98.7

-8.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 NZ$3.75

$1.69 ฿56.9

24.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 NZ$5.62

$2.25 ฿75.7

40.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.03 NZ$10.72

$2.08 ฿70.0

189.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 NZ$3.69

$1.51 ฿50.9

37.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$1.38 ฿46.47

10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 NZ$4.44

$1.07 ฿35.91

133.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 NZ$1.64

$0.52 ฿17.49

78.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.31 NZ$44.96

$4.20 ฿142

502.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 NZ$18.65

$18.79 ฿633

-44.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 NZ$4.87

$1.82 ฿61.4

50.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 NZ$5.84

$2.84 ฿95.7

15.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 NZ$4.13

$1.45 ฿48.93

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 NZ$109

$56.7 ฿1,909

8.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 NZ$4.11

$3.02 ฿102

-23.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 NZ$3.50

$1.02 ฿34.29

93.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.86 NZ$58.4

$3.69 ฿124

790.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 NZ$3.09

$1.47 ฿49.70

18.37%

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

$26.9K NZ$47.7K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

0.37%

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

$22.1K NZ$39.3K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-17.14%

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

$182 NZ$323

$96.4 ฿3,247

88.70%

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

$26.22 NZ$46.58

$11.26 ฿380

132.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NZ$91.3

$16.85 ฿568

204.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.58 NZ$48.99

$67.2 ฿2,266

-58.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$12.07 NZ$21.44

$7.50 ฿253

60.93%

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

$686 NZ$1,219

$476 ฿16.0K

44.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K NZ$25.8K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

29.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 NZ$123

$62.4 ฿2,102

10.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 NZ$66.9

$28.41 ฿957

32.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 NZ$169

$94.3 ฿3,178

1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NZ$191

$85.8 ฿2,892

25.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 NZ$2,360

$716 ฿24.1K

85.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 NZ$1,850

$491 ฿16.5K

112.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 NZ$3,980

$1,927 ฿64.9K

16.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 NZ$2,355

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-7.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,353 NZ$13.1K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

76.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,086 NZ$10.8K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

99.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,856 NZ$5,074

$502 ฿16.9K

468.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

5.57

19.03%

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

Last update for North Shore: 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

North Shore

$1K 49%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 52.9% $551

Groceries & Markets

North Shore

$310 14.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 14.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Shore

$259 12.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 52% $135

Eating Out

North Shore

$239 11.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 49.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

North Shore

$139 6.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 12.4% $17

Getting Around

North Shore

$83 3.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 14.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

North Shore

$52 2.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 59% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,328 in North Shore and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Shore pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in North Shore vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 North Shore

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

10:08 10:08 AM

6 h behind North Shore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,697

79,308

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.506 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.506 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 NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

North Shore Phuket 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

North Shore
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

North Shore vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,123 in North Shore and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in North Shore is about 5.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,328 in North Shore versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $75 in North Shore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,123 per month in North Shore versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,123 in North Shore, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in North Shore. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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, North Shore and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in North Shore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.