Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dargaville

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,134 in Dargaville, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Dargaville
Learn more

Dargaville Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Dargaville

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dargaville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,134 in Dargaville.

Phuket $1,278
Dargaville $2,134

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,019 in Dargaville.

Phuket $2,216
Dargaville $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,904 in Dargaville.

Phuket $3,154
Dargaville $3,904

Living in Phuket costs roughly 40% less than in Dargaville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Dargaville is 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.54 NZ$25.92

-69.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$68.9 NZ$123

-52.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.05 NZ$16.13

-2.65%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.69 NZ$6.58

-23.31%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.18 NZ$3.89

-60.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.09 NZ$3.73

-76.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.31 NZ$11.24

-59.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.63 NZ$10.04

-34.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.05 NZ$3.65

-19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.96 NZ$3.49

-25.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.52 NZ$2.71

-1.32%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$6.70 NZ$11.94

-68.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.49 NZ$15.14

124.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.47 NZ$18.66

-68.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.69 NZ$22.62

-14.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.65 NZ$4.72

10.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.14 NZ$3.81

-21.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.92 NZ$5.20

-22.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$5.86 NZ$10.45

-64.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.73 NZ$3.08

-12.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.38 NZ$2.46

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.49 NZ$4.43

-57.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.18 NZ$2.10

-55.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$26.67 NZ$47.54

-84.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.24 NZ$18.26

83.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.02 NZ$5.38

-39.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.13 NZ$5.57

-9.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.89 NZ$3.37

-23.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$115 NZ$205

-50.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.42 NZ$4.31

24.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.81 NZ$3.22

-43.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$26.35 NZ$46.96

-86.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.49 NZ$2.66

-1.34%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$25.5K NZ$45.4K

5.12%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$23.7K NZ$42.2K

12.60%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$128 NZ$228

-24.77%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.15 NZ$52.0

-61.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$51.3 NZ$91.4

-67.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$38.91 NZ$69.4

72.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.48 NZ$20.45

-34.67%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$659 NZ$1,174

-27.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$14.6K NZ$26.1K

-22.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$67.3 NZ$120

-7.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.09 NZ$69.7

-27.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$90.9 NZ$162

3.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$115 NZ$205

-25.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,125 NZ$2,006

-36.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,011 NZ$1,802

-51.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,404 NZ$2,503

37.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,352 NZ$2,409

5.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,216 NZ$7,514

-0.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,111 NZ$5,544

-2.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.83

-4.46%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dargaville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Dargaville

$1K 47.4% 106% $520

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Dargaville

$330 15.5% 23.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Dargaville

$209 9.8% 67.5% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dargaville

$141 6.6% 15.4% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dargaville

$248 11.6% 104% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Dargaville

$62 2.9% 24.8% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Dargaville

$134 6.3% 90.2% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $69 in Dargaville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $330 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Dargaville

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

05:17 5:17 AM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,600

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Dargaville 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dargaville

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 Dargaville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Dargaville differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,278 vs $2,134 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,201 in Dargaville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,125 in Dargaville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $659 in Dargaville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Dargaville. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,134 in Dargaville, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Dargaville. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Dargaville 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 40% less than in Dargaville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.