Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bonwapitse

For one person, living is cheaper in Bonwapitse: $567 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Bonwapitse
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Bonwapitse Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bonwapitse

🇧🇼 Botswana

$567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bonwapitse

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $567 in Bonwapitse, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Bonwapitse $567

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $914 in Bonwapitse, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Bonwapitse $914

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,260 in Bonwapitse, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Bonwapitse $1,260

Phuket costs about 125% more than Bonwapitse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Bonwapitse are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Bonwapitse 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.04 P 149

-59.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$28.88 P 390

12.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.91 P 79.7

49.07%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.29 P 30.83

23.58%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.75 P 10.14

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.43 P 5.84

13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.02 P 27.32

26.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.61 P 35.19

41.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.48 P 20.01

12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.83 P 11.18

75.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.79 P 24.11

-16.20%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.51 P 33.81

-16.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$6.16 P 83.1

209.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.44 P 60.0

-25.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$5.12 P 69.1

113.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.64 P 22.17

78.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.45 P 19.62

16.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.97 P 26.53

14.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.66 P 22.42

25.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.28 P 17.27

17.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.21 P 16.36

14.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.33 P 17.96

-19.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.96 P 12.98

-45.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.52 P 47.46

19.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.28 P 57.7

339.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.40 P 18.84

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.79 P 24.20

58.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.61 P 8.18

395.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.51 P 33.84

-59.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.85 P 38.45

29.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.33 P 17.97

10.53%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$30.7K P 413.9K

-12.73%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$20.2K P 272.7K

32.05%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$58.7 P 792

64.17%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.90 P 255

-40.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$43.37 P 585

-61.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.18 P 83.4

21.36%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$126 P 1,697

278.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,472 P 33.4K

355.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$46.71 P 630

33.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$16.54 P 223

71.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$71.0 P 958

32.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$78.0 P 1,052

10.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.33

-50.84%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bonwapitse: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bonwapitse

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bonwapitse

$172 30.3% 35.5% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bonwapitse

$121 21.3% 2.8% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bonwapitse

$96 16.8% 21.6% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bonwapitse

$154 27.1% 26.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bonwapitse

$12 * 2.2% 85% $70

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bonwapitse

$13 * 2.3% 81.4% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $29 in Bonwapitse. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $172 – making Bonwapitse the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇼 Bonwapitse

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

568

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, 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).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 13.49 BWP (100 BWP = 7.41 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bonwapitse 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bonwapitse

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 Bonwapitse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 125% more than Bonwapitse, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $851 in Bonwapitse. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $29 in Bonwapitse. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bonwapitse, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Bonwapitse it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $567 in Bonwapitse to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.