Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and George

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,110 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in George
Learn more

George Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,110

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in George

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,110 in George.

Phuket $1,278
George $1,110

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,847 in George.

Phuket $2,216
George $1,847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,584 in George.

Phuket $3,154
George $2,584

Living in Phuket is roughly 15% more expensive than in George, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, George 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.85 R 181

-58.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$41.91 R 700

-22.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.95 R 82.6

77.98%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.13 R 35.57

32.86%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.05 R 17.59

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.78 R 12.95

-37.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.70 R 45.10

-5.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.25 R 54.3

13.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.15 R 19.15

44.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.01 R 16.92

44.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.50 R 25.09

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.79 R 46.63

-25.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.68 R 145

119.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.29 R 88.2

-37.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.70 R 112

62.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.68 R 27.99

74.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.55 R 25.80

9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.49 R 24.86

51.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.73 R 28.89

20.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.71 R 28.48

-11.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.40 R 23.32

-1.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.25 R 20.82

-14.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.99 R 16.61

-47.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.20 R 53.4

31.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.97 R 83.0

278.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.28 R 21.44

42.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.75 R 29.17

62.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.48 R 24.63

-2.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$27.91 R 466

103.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.64 R 10.67

371.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.48 R 7.95

112.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.64 R 144

-57.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.25 R 20.87

17.60%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$29.9K R 499.3K

-10.48%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$30.0K R 500.5K

-10.97%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$123 R 2,052

-21.63%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.56 R 293

-35.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$46.26 R 772

-63.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$30.43 R 508

120.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.78 R 180

-0.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.93 R 98.9

26.48%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$139 R 2,324

241.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$5,219 R 87.1K

115.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$72.1 R 1,203

-13.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$38.64 R 645

-26.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$112 R 1,864

-15.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$86.8 R 1,448

-1.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$429 R 7,163

66.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$362 R 6,051

35.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$770 R 12.9K

150.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$935 R 15.6K

52.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$855 R 14.3K

388.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$690 R 11.5K

341.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,339 R 22.4K

-62.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.92

-48.99%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for George: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

George

$362 32.6% 26.2% $128

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

George

$188 17% 29.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

George

$187 16.8% 50.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

George

$139 12.5% 14.1% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

George

$155 13.9% 27% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

George

$42 3.8% 48.6% $40

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

George

$37 3.3% 47.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $429 in George. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George pays about 2.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $42 in George. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $188, with George cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 George

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

06:02 6:02 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

188,580

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket George 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
George

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 George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $429 in George. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $42 in George. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,110 in George – George is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though George gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 George are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.