Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $992 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
48

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in East London

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $992 in East London, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
East London $992

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,611 in East London, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
East London $1,611

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,230 in East London, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
East London $2,230

Phuket costs about 29% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and East London are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, East London 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.10 R 151

-50.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$38.23 R 635

-15.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.57 R 92.5

58.17%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.05 R 34.01

38.05%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.04 R 17.30

-16.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.76 R 12.68

-35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.69 R 44.62

-4.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.21 R 53.3

14.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.18 R 19.67

40.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.87 R 14.51

67.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.44 R 23.94

4.17%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.27 R 37.75

-7.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$8.37 R 139

127.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.49 R 91.2

-39.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.71 R 111

62.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.46 R 24.26

100.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.53 R 25.39

10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.63 R 27.12

38.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.43 R 23.81

45.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.68 R 27.84

-10.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.43 R 23.69

-3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.17 R 19.45

-8.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.95 R 15.79

-45.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.89 R 47.99

45.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$4.70 R 78.0

299.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.19 R 19.76

52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$0.98 R 16.35

189.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.47 R 24.48

-1.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$46.85 R 778

20.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.22 R 20.27

147.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.46 R 7.58

121.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$8.38 R 139

-55.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.35 R 22.41

8.89%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$34.7K R 575.7K

-22.77%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$29.3K R 486.3K

-8.85%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$122 R 2,030

-21.21%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$32.64 R 542

-65.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$44.35 R 736

-62.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$39.51 R 656

70.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.54 R 75.4

65.20%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$177 R 2,941

168.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$5,438 R 90.3K

107.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$56.8 R 944

9.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$32.80 R 545

-13.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$73.1 R 1,213

29.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$95.2 R 1,580

-9.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$290 R 4,822

146.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$251 R 4,161

95.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$543 R 9,011

255.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$633 R 10.5K

125.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,664 R 27.6K

-69.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for East London: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

East London

$251 25.3% 49% $240

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

East London

$180 18.1% 32.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

East London

$199 20.1% 60.1% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

East London

$116 11.7% 4.8% $5.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

East London

$141 14.2% 16% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

East London

$49 4.9% 40.9% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

East London

$56 5.7% 20.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $290 in East London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in East London are about 3.3 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 $38 in East London. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $180 in East London – so East London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

09:12 9:12 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

267,007

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket East London 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $992 in East London – East London comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,487 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $177 in East London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $992, than in Phuket at $1,278. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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