Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Auckland

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,421 in Auckland, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Auckland
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Auckland Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Auckland

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,421

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Auckland

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 Auckland actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,421 in Auckland.

Phuket $1,278
Auckland $2,421

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,382 in Auckland.

Phuket $2,216
Auckland $3,382

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,343 in Auckland.

Phuket $3,154
Auckland $4,343

Living in Phuket costs roughly 47% less than in Auckland, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Auckland is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.26 NZ$25.10

-68.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$67.0 NZ$118

-51.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.12 NZ$16.06

-3.40%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.47 NZ$6.11

-18.44%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.04 NZ$3.59

-57.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.75 NZ$3.07

-72.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.79 NZ$11.95

-62.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.78 NZ$11.93

-45.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.92 NZ$3.37

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.17 NZ$3.82

-32.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.83 NZ$3.23

-18.03%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$6.16 NZ$10.85

-66.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.97 NZ$15.79

112.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.99 NZ$17.58

-66.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.72 NZ$31.19

-38.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.97 NZ$5.22

-1.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.08 NZ$3.67

-18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.07 NZ$5.41

-26.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$5.72 NZ$10.06

-63.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.17 NZ$3.82

-30.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.54 NZ$2.72

-10.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.04 NZ$3.60

-47.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.10 NZ$1.93

-52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$27.07 NZ$47.64

-84.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.21 NZ$17.98

84.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.87 NZ$5.05

-36.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.38 NZ$5.95

-15.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.93 NZ$3.40

-24.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$123 NZ$216

-53.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.29 NZ$4.03

31.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.02 NZ$3.56

-49.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$32.32 NZ$56.9

-88.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.83 NZ$3.23

-19.67%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$27.2K NZ$47.9K

-1.66%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$22.2K NZ$39.0K

20.50%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$184 NZ$325

-47.76%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$26.77 NZ$47.12

-57.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$51.6 NZ$90.7

-67.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$42.05 NZ$74.0

59.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$18.31 NZ$32.22

-41.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.18 NZ$21.43

-38.42%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,063 NZ$1,872

-55.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$19.5K NZ$34.4K

-42.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$80.3 NZ$141

-22.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.90 NZ$70.2

-28.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$92.7 NZ$163

1.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$113 NZ$198

-23.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,271 NZ$2,237

-43.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,213 NZ$2,134

-59.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,222 NZ$3,911

-13.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,658 NZ$2,918

-13.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$7,413 NZ$13.0K

-43.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$5,429 NZ$9,555

-43.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,958 NZ$5,206

-83.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.37

3.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Auckland: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Auckland

$1.2K 50.1% 147% $722

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Auckland

$344 14.2% 29% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Auckland

$263 10.9% 111% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Auckland

$147 6.1% 20.2% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Auckland

$246 10.2% 102% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Auckland

$66 2.7% 19.3% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Auckland

$143 5.9% 103% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,271 in Auckland. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Auckland pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $67 in Auckland for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $344 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Auckland

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

06:44 6:44 AM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,463,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 NZD = 0.568 USD

1 NZD = 0.51 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 NZD (1 NZD = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 NZD (1 NZD = 0.51 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Auckland 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Auckland

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 Auckland: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Auckland. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,271 in Auckland. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,063 in Auckland. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Auckland. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,421 in Auckland, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Auckland. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Auckland, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Auckland are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Auckland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.