Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Brakpan Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Brakpan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $915 in Brakpan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,453 in Brakpan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,990 in Brakpan.

Living in Phuket is roughly 35% more expensive than Brakpan, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Brakpan 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$8.79 R 147

-47.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$33.71 R 565

38.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$4.89 R 82.0

80.78%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.04 R 34.16

47.06%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.99 R 16.62

-25.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.77 R 12.94

-51.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$2.19 R 36.65

11.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.47 R 41.48

46.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.02 R 17.15

121.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.02 R 17.04

80.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$1.13 R 18.91

98.23%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.11 R 35.33

9.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$9.55 R 160

105.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$4.06 R 68.2

-10.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$6.26 R 105

109.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$1.15 R 19.36

194.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.27 R 21.24

29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.15 R 19.26

109.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.29 R 21.64

57.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$1.06 R 17.83

47.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.19 R 20.00

26.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.94 R 15.82

8.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.93 R 15.61

-47.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$2.93 R 49.09

51.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$4.76 R 79.9

296.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.96 R 16.02

85.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$1.23 R 20.60

123.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$1.67 R 28.08

-16.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$1.10 R 18.40

183.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.96 R 16.08

4.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$3.95 R 66.3

256.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.24 R 20.87

8.87%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$21.1K R 353.5K

28.97%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$23.6K R 396.1K

39.38%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$119 R 1,991

5.26%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$34.60 R 580

-60.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$42.52 R 713

-56.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$31.22 R 524

96.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$6.73 R 113

36.55%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$195 R 3,263

258.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$4,371 R 73.3K

256.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$50.2 R 842

15.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$31.73 R 532

11.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$87.9 R 1,474

28.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$78.4 R 1,315

10.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$359 R 6,024

71.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$257 R 4,312

73.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$458 R 7,683

347.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$541 R 9,070

175.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$755 R 12.7K

400.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$778 R 13.1K

240.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$873 R 14.6K

-39.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

11.51

-53.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Brakpan: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $359 in Brakpan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brakpan pays 67% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $34.00 in Brakpan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $163 per month, with Brakpan cheaper across the board.

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 Brakpan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brakpan wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brakpan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Brakpan earns 67% less. 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: $616 in Phuket versus $359 in Brakpan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $195 in Brakpan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brakpan – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $915 in Brakpan versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brakpan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Brakpan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brakpan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $915 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brakpan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Brakpan 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 Brakpan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.