Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Durbanville

For one person, living is cheaper in Durbanville: $1,153 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durbanville
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Durbanville Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Durbanville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Durbanville

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,153 in Durbanville, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Durbanville $1,153

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,834 in Durbanville, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Durbanville $1,834

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,516 in Durbanville, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Durbanville $2,516

Phuket costs about 11% more than Durbanville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Durbanville are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Durbanville 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.29 R 205

-63.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$46.72 R 778

-30.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.00 R 100.0

46.83%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.46 R 41.00

15.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.94 R 15.71

-7.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.63 R 10.55

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.40 R 40.01

6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.80 R 46.60

31.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.33 R 22.11

24.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.23 R 20.42

18.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.16 R 36.04

-30.56%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.24 R 54.0

-35.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.97 R 149

112.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.85 R 114

-51.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.69 R 161

12.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.91 R 31.79

53.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.92 R 32.07

-11.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.77 R 29.49

27.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.16 R 36.06

-3.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.55 R 25.76

-2.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.49 R 24.81

-7.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.30 R 21.69

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.15 R 19.21

-54.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.58 R 59.6

17.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.95 R 99.1

215.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.41 R 23.49

29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.19 R 36.53

29.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.54 R 25.60

-5.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.59 R 9.81

411.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.53 R 25.52

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.12 R 85.3

-27.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.61 R 26.78

-8.70%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$35.5K R 591.6K

-24.58%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$34.4K R 572.5K

-22.30%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$116 R 1,931

-16.87%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.03 R 484

-61.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$40.89 R 681

-58.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.91 R 532

110.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.78 R 180

-0.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.19 R 153

-18.39%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$266 R 4,435

78.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,797 R 113.3K

65.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$55.6 R 927

12.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$32.11 R 535

-11.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$120 R 2,000

-21.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$107 R 1,787

-19.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$390 R 6,506

83.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$364 R 6,073

34.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$735 R 12.2K

162.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$732 R 12.2K

95.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$866 R 14.4K

382.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$683 R 11.4K

345.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,033 R 17.2K

-51.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.97

-49.23%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Durbanville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Durbanville

$364 31.6% 25.8% $126

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Durbanville

$226 19.6% 15% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Durbanville

$186 16.1% 49.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Durbanville

$142 12.3% 16.3% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Durbanville

$170 14.7% 39.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Durbanville

$50 4.4% 38.9% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Durbanville

$14 * 1.3% 79.6% $56

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 $390 in Durbanville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Durbanville are about 2.1 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 $47 in Durbanville. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $226 in Durbanville – so Durbanville wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Durbanville

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

20:04 8:04 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

40,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Durbanville 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Durbanville

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 Durbanville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 11% more than Durbanville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,729 in Durbanville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durbanville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,153 in Durbanville. That’s a gap of about 11%.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $266 in Durbanville. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,153 in Durbanville. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.