Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Brackenfell

For one person, living is cheaper in Brackenfell: $1,038 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Brackenfell
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Brackenfell Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Brackenfell

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Brackenfell

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,038 in Brackenfell.

Phuket $1,278
Brackenfell $1,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,651 in Brackenfell.

Phuket $2,216
Brackenfell $1,651

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,264 in Brackenfell.

Phuket $3,154
Brackenfell $2,264

Living in Phuket is roughly 23% more expensive than in Brackenfell, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Brackenfell 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.25 R 154

-51.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$24.23 R 404

33.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.11 R 102

44.19%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.49 R 41.44

13.65%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.09 R 18.13

-20.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.99 R 16.45

-50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.42 R 40.26

5.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.51 R 41.76

46.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.07 R 17.86

55.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.16 R 19.27

25.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.12 R 35.26

-29.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.91 R 31.77

9.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.12 R 135

134.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.75 R 45.81

20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.85 R 114

59.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.44 R 23.97

103.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.97 R 32.80

-14.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.71 R 28.43

31.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.69 R 28.10

23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.39 R 23.21

8.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.05 R 17.50

31.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.95 R 15.79

12.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.08 R 18.02

-51.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.59 R 59.8

16.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.23 R 70.5

344.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.41 R 23.43

29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.01 R 33.45

41.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.54 R 25.68

-5.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.62 R 10.38

387.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.93 R 15.57

9.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.96 R 82.7

-25.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.37 R 22.76

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$18.1K R 301.3K

48.08%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$19.7K R 329.1K

35.16%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$117 R 1,946

-17.48%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$28.72 R 479

-60.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$40.08 R 668

-57.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$23.95 R 399

180.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.85 R 181

-1.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.05 R 151

-17.13%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$151 R 2,512

215.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$7,043 R 117.4K

59.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$42.85 R 714

45.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$22.96 R 383

23.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$67.4 R 1,123

39.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$50.7 R 845

69.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$646 R 10.8K

10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$395 R 6,581

24.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,295 R 21.6K

48.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$927 R 15.4K

54.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$880 R 14.7K

374.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$681 R 11.3K

347.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,850 R 30.8K

-72.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.97

-49.23%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brackenfell: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Brackenfell

$395 38.1% 19.5% $96

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Brackenfell

$174 16.7% 34.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Brackenfell

$186 17.9% 49.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Brackenfell

$83 8% 32.1% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Brackenfell

$148 14.2% 21.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Brackenfell

$42 4.1% 48.9% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Brackenfell

$11 * 1.1% 83.8% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $646 in Brackenfell. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brackenfell pays about 3.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $24 in Brackenfell for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $174 per month, with Brackenfell cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Brackenfell

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

22:32 10:32 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

80,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Brackenfell 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Brackenfell

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 Brackenfell: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brackenfell wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Brackenfell the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 73% 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 $646 in Brackenfell. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $151 in Brackenfell. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brackenfell – a meal for two runs $24 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Brackenfell is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.