Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Canterbury, New Zealand

For one person, living is cheaper in Canterbury: $915 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Canterbury
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Canterbury Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Canterbury

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Canterbury

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $915 in Canterbury, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Canterbury $915

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,521 in Canterbury, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Canterbury $1,521

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,127 in Canterbury, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Canterbury $2,127

Phuket costs about 40% more than Canterbury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Canterbury are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Canterbury 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.95 NZ$24.76

-67.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$63.7 NZ$113

-49.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.52 NZ$20.45

-23.52%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.06 NZ$5.44

-7.52%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.07 NZ$3.67

-57.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.11 NZ$3.75

-76.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.94 NZ$7.00

-35.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.09 NZ$10.82

-39.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.22 NZ$3.93

-25.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.93 NZ$3.42

-24.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.69 NZ$3.01

-11.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.53 NZ$9.82

-62.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.34 NZ$14.81

128.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.17 NZ$16.28

-64.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.50 NZ$29.30

-33.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.91 NZ$5.16

0.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.21 NZ$3.93

-23.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.30 NZ$5.85

-31.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$5.19 NZ$9.21

-59.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-18.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.87 NZ$3.32

-26.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.33 NZ$4.14

-54.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.59 NZ$1.06

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$21.06 NZ$37.39

-80.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.26 NZ$16.44

102.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.21 NZ$5.71

-43.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.20 NZ$2.13

136.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.73 NZ$10.17

-47.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$28.19 NZ$50.1

-86.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.60 NZ$2.84

-8.13%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$28.5K NZ$50.6K

-6.03%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$23.3K NZ$41.3K

14.71%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$113 NZ$201

-14.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.09 NZ$51.6

-61.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$51.7 NZ$91.8

-67.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.46 NZ$20.34

-34.55%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$590 NZ$1,048

-19.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$59.9 NZ$106

4.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$22.35 NZ$39.69

27.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$91.2 NZ$162

3.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$139 NZ$247

-38.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$898 NZ$1,595

-20.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,733 NZ$4,853

-81.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Canterbury: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Canterbury

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Canterbury

$320 35% 20.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Canterbury

$194 21.2% 55.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Canterbury

$141 15.4% 15.4% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Canterbury

$232 25.3% 90.2% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Canterbury

$23 * 2.5% 72.1% $59

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Canterbury

$5.7 * 0.6% 91.9% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $898 in Canterbury. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Canterbury are about 5.4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $64 in Canterbury. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $320 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Canterbury

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

12:23 12:23 PM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 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

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Between locations

Phuket Canterbury 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Canterbury

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 Canterbury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $915 in Canterbury – Canterbury comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,373 in Canterbury. 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 $898 in Canterbury.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $64 in Canterbury. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Canterbury, where all-in costs run around $915, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Canterbury 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 $915 in Canterbury to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.