Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dunedin

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,794 in Dunedin, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Dunedin
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Dunedin Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Dunedin

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dunedin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,794 in Dunedin.

Phuket $1,207
Dunedin $1,794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,661 in Dunedin.

Phuket $2,037
Dunedin $2,661

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,527 in Dunedin.

Phuket $2,867
Dunedin $3,527

Living in Phuket costs roughly 33% less than in Dunedin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Dunedin is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$13.81 NZ$24.43

-66.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$61.7 NZ$109

-47.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$11.05 NZ$19.54

-22.62%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.28 NZ$5.80

-17.07%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.03 NZ$3.58

-53.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$2.04 NZ$3.61

-75.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$6.74 NZ$11.92

-61.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.27 NZ$11.09

-38.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.13 NZ$3.77

-18.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.96 NZ$3.47

-27.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.68 NZ$2.98

-8.93%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$5.75 NZ$10.16

-62.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$8.54 NZ$15.10

124.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$9.45 NZ$16.72

-65.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$16.50 NZ$29.19

-32.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.00 NZ$5.30

-1.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.39 NZ$4.22

-29.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.14 NZ$5.56

-26.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$4.93 NZ$8.72

-56.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.85 NZ$3.28

-17.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.82 NZ$3.22

-25.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.34 NZ$4.13

-52.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.59 NZ$1.04

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$20.71 NZ$36.63

-79.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$8.90 NZ$15.75

104.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$3.09 NZ$5.47

-43.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.20 NZ$2.12

132.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.11 NZ$1.96

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$66.0 NZ$117

-66.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$5.46 NZ$9.66

-46.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$27.62 NZ$48.84

-86.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.76 NZ$3.12

-15.34%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

4.35%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$24.9K NZ$44.0K

7.33%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$111 NZ$196

-10.45%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$28.15 NZ$49.78

-59.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$52.5 NZ$92.9

-66.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$47.73 NZ$84.4

9.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$10.36 NZ$18.33

-26.93%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$570 NZ$1,009

-2.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$58.9 NZ$104

6.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$34.56 NZ$61.1

-17.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$92.5 NZ$164

3.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$132 NZ$234

-33.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$873 NZ$1,545

-16.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$749 NZ$1,324

-38.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,480 NZ$2,617

41.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,148 NZ$2,031

6.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,200 NZ$3,890

13.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$2,425 NZ$4,288

-79.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.07

-21.22%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dunedin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Dunedin

$749 41.7% 62.8% $289

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Dunedin

$321 17.9% 19.9% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Dunedin

$192 10.7% 49.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Dunedin

$143 8% 15.4% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Dunedin

$246 13.7% 102% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Dunedin

$68 3.8% 1.5% $1

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Dunedin

$76 * 4.2% 95.2% $37

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 $729 in Phuket and $873 in Dunedin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dunedin pays 392% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $62.0 in Dunedin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $321 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Dunedin

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

13:19 1:19 PM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

105,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Dunedin 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dunedin

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 Dunedin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Dunedin differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $1,794 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 392% lower in Dunedin. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $873 in Dunedin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 199% less than in Dunedin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $570 in Dunedin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,794 in Dunedin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Dunedin. 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 Dunedin 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 49% less than in Dunedin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.