Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Durban

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Durban $2,366

Phuket costs about 13% more than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.93 R 132

-43.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$39.14 R 652

-17.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.15 R 103

43.25%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.73 R 45.52

3.66%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.12 R 18.58

-22.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.91 R 15.22

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.43 R 40.48

5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.48 R 41.39

48.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.17 R 19.51

41.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.01 R 16.75

44.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.50 R 24.96

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.43 R 40.49

-13.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.22 R 137

132.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.32 R 88.6

-37.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.28 R 121

49.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.95 R 32.45

50.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.95 R 32.45

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.94 R 32.35

15.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.65 R 27.42

26.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.55 R 25.81

-2.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.46 R 24.32

-5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.17 R 19.41

-8.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.14 R 18.96

-54.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.64 R 60.7

15.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.73 R 78.9

297.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.41 R 23.42

29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.89 R 31.57

50.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.79 R 29.78

-18.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$21.32 R 355

165.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.41 R 6.78

636.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.76 R 12.59

34.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.72 R 129

-52.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.49 R 24.83

-1.34%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$35.5K R 591.4K

-24.55%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$32.3K R 538.6K

-17.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$148 R 2,460

-34.74%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$35.49 R 591

-68.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$39.45 R 657

-57.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.01 R 517

116.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$8.61 R 143

24.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.39 R 123

1.49%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$317 R 5,274

50.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$7,714 R 128.5K

46.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$53.2 R 887

17.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$30.50 R 508

-6.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$99.1 R 1,651

-4.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$85.0 R 1,417

0.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$445 R 7,414

60.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$374 R 6,240

31.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$814 R 13.6K

136.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$744 R 12.4K

92.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$820 R 13.7K

409.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$565 R 9,419

438.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,280 R 21.3K

-60.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.78

-52.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Durban

$374 33.1% 23.7% $116

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Durban

$194 17.2% 27.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Durban

$223 19.7% 78.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Durban

$121 10.7% 1.1% $1.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Durban

$140 12.4% 15% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Durban

$46 4.1% 44.3% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Durban

$33 2.9% 53.7% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $445 in Durban. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Durban are about 2.5 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 $39 in Durban. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $194 in Durban – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

22:27 10:27 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,442,361

💱 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 Durban 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Durban

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 Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,695 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,130 in Durban. That makes Durban about 12% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Durban. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,130 in Durban, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Durban – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.