Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ashburton

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,040 in Ashburton, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Ashburton
Learn more

Ashburton Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ashburton

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ashburton

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Ashburton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,040 in Ashburton, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Ashburton $2,040

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,892 in Ashburton, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Ashburton $2,892

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,745 in Ashburton, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Ashburton $3,745

Phuket is about 37% cheaper than Ashburton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Ashburton is 50% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.48 NZ$25.74

-69.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$69.9 NZ$124

-53.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.28 NZ$16.49

-5.06%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.30 NZ$5.86

-14.24%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.27 NZ$4.03

-61.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.87 NZ$3.33

-73.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.74 NZ$11.99

-62.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.98 NZ$12.41

-47.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.67 NZ$2.97

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.80 NZ$3.19

-18.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.41 NZ$2.51

6.38%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$6.04 NZ$10.73

-65.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.28 NZ$12.94

161.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.47 NZ$16.83

-65.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.47 NZ$23.95

-19.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.48 NZ$4.41

18.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.02 NZ$3.58

-16.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.74 NZ$4.86

-17.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.07 NZ$5.45

-32.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.52 NZ$2.70

-0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.40 NZ$2.48

-1.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.28 NZ$4.05

-53.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.28 NZ$2.28

-59.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$24.04 NZ$42.73

-82.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.35 NZ$14.85

125.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.50 NZ$6.22

-48.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.44 NZ$7.90

-36.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.76 NZ$3.13

-17.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$90.7 NZ$161

-37.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.49 NZ$4.43

21.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.68 NZ$2.98

-39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$28.87 NZ$51.3

-87.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.93 NZ$3.43

-23.83%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$28.0K NZ$49.8K

-4.42%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$23.3K NZ$41.4K

14.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$157 NZ$280

-38.75%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.27 NZ$41.36

-51.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$44.99 NZ$80.0

-62.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$39.50 NZ$70.2

70.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.67 NZ$20.75

-35.73%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$676 NZ$1,202

-29.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$21.7K NZ$38.5K

-48.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$59.7 NZ$106

4.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$40.20 NZ$71.5

-29.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$102 NZ$181

-7.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$124 NZ$221

-30.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$924 NZ$1,642

-22.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$949 NZ$1,687

-48.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,883 NZ$3,347

2.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,288 NZ$2,290

11.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$5,025 NZ$8,933

-16.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,445 NZ$6,123

-11.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.91

-5.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ashburton: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ashburton

$949 46.5% 93.3% $458

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ashburton

$300 14.7% 12.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ashburton

$226 11.1% 81.2% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ashburton

$147 7.2% 20.3% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ashburton

$248 12.1% 103% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ashburton

$63 3.1% 23.6% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ashburton

$109 5.3% 53.8% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $924 in Ashburton. 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 $32 in Phuket versus $70 in Ashburton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $300 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Ashburton

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

18:20 6:20 PM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

20,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ashburton 9,310 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ashburton

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

Phuket vs Ashburton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $2,040 in Ashburton – Phuket comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,060 in Ashburton. 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 $924 in Ashburton.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Ashburton, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $70 in Ashburton. 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 Ashburton at $2,040. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ashburton 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.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 37% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.