Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fox Glacier

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,965 in Fox Glacier, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Fox Glacier
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Fox Glacier Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Fox Glacier

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Fox Glacier

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,965 in Fox Glacier.

Phuket $1,278
Fox Glacier $1,965

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,013 in Fox Glacier.

Phuket $2,216
Fox Glacier $3,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,061 in Fox Glacier.

Phuket $3,154
Fox Glacier $4,061

Living in Phuket costs roughly 35% less than in Fox Glacier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Fox Glacier is 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.92 NZ$26.49

-70.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$62.1 NZ$110

-47.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.20 NZ$14.56

7.44%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.55 NZ$6.30

-20.28%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.78 NZ$3.17

-51.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.65 NZ$2.93

-70.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.68 NZ$11.86

-61.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.97 NZ$12.37

-47.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.01 NZ$3.57

-17.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.79 NZ$3.18

-18.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.73 NZ$3.07

-13.29%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.99 NZ$10.63

-65.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.41 NZ$16.71

102.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.72 NZ$15.47

-62.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.28 NZ$27.13

-28.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.02 NZ$5.36

-2.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.17 NZ$3.86

-22.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.65 NZ$4.71

-15.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.95 NZ$8.79

-57.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.22 NZ$3.95

-31.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.49 NZ$2.65

-7.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.30 NZ$4.08

-53.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.17 NZ$2.08

-55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$24.30 NZ$43.15

-82.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.18 NZ$14.51

129.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.86 NZ$5.08

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.89 NZ$5.13

-1.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.90 NZ$3.38

-23.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$95.2 NZ$169

-40.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.08 NZ$3.70

45.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.02 NZ$3.58

-49.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$27.35 NZ$48.56

-86.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.96 NZ$3.48

-25.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$27.8K NZ$49.4K

-3.85%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$25.5K NZ$45.2K

4.87%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$96.7 NZ$172

-0.36%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.56 NZ$52.5

-61.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$52.5 NZ$93.3

-67.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$37.47 NZ$66.5

79.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.87 NZ$17.53

-24.01%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$704 NZ$1,250

-32.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$17.1K NZ$30.3K

-34.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$71.3 NZ$127

-12.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$33.01 NZ$58.6

-13.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$99.8 NZ$177

-5.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$100 NZ$178

-14.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,078 NZ$1,913

-33.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$911 NZ$1,617

-46.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,580 NZ$2,806

21.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,645 NZ$2,921

-13.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,875 NZ$8,655

-14.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,516 NZ$6,242

-13.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 Fox Glacier: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Fox Glacier

$911 46.3% 85.5% $420

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Fox Glacier

$319 16.3% 20% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Fox Glacier

$179 9.1% 43.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Fox Glacier

$137 7% 12.3% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Fox Glacier

$248 12.6% 104% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Fox Glacier

$57 2.9% 30.4% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Fox Glacier

$115 5.9% 62.9% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,078 in Fox Glacier. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $62 in Fox Glacier for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $319 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Fox Glacier

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

04:48 4:48 AM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Fox Glacier 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Fox Glacier

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 Fox Glacier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,965 in Fox Glacier, so Phuket is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,948 in Fox Glacier 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 $1,078 in Fox Glacier. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 40% less than in Fox Glacier. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $704 in Fox Glacier. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,965 in Fox Glacier, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Fox Glacier. 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Fox Glacier. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.