Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gisborne

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,029 in Gisborne, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Gisborne
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Gisborne Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Gisborne

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,029

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gisborne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,029 in Gisborne.

Phuket $1,278
Gisborne $2,029

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,006 in Gisborne.

Phuket $2,216
Gisborne $3,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,982 in Gisborne.

Phuket $3,154
Gisborne $3,982

Living in Phuket costs roughly 37% less than in Gisborne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Gisborne is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$28.96 NZ$51.4

-84.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$54.7 NZ$97.0

-40.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.04 NZ$16.06

-2.54%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.54 NZ$6.28

-20.06%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.09 NZ$3.72

-58.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.03 NZ$3.61

-75.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.35 NZ$11.27

-59.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.81 NZ$10.32

-36.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.84 NZ$3.26

-9.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.02 NZ$3.59

-27.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.76 NZ$3.13

-14.77%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.83 NZ$10.35

-64.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.50 NZ$15.09

124.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.22 NZ$16.38

-64.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.35 NZ$25.47

-23.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.62 NZ$4.66

11.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.27 NZ$4.03

-25.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.07 NZ$5.46

-26.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$5.67 NZ$10.07

-63.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.01 NZ$3.56

-24.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.44 NZ$2.56

-4.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.23 NZ$3.95

-52.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.10 NZ$1.96

-52.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$21.32 NZ$37.85

-80.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.32 NZ$16.54

101.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.44 NZ$6.10

-47.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.35 NZ$5.94

-15.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.73 NZ$3.06

-16.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$99.1 NZ$176

-42.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.50 NZ$4.44

20.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.78 NZ$3.17

-42.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$33.82 NZ$60.0

-89.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.22 NZ$3.94

-33.78%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$27.6K NZ$49.0K

-3.03%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$24.8K NZ$44.1K

7.53%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$115 NZ$204

-16.33%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$32.28 NZ$57.3

-65.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$49.02 NZ$87.0

-65.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$39.98 NZ$71.0

68.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.04 NZ$19.60

-32.07%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$718 NZ$1,274

-33.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$17.9K NZ$31.8K

-37.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$53.8 NZ$95.5

15.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$36.84 NZ$65.4

-22.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$88.2 NZ$157

6.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$127 NZ$226

-32.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,013 NZ$1,799

-29.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$830 NZ$1,474

-40.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,463 NZ$2,597

31.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,309 NZ$2,323

9.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,946 NZ$8,781

-15.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,203 NZ$5,687

-4.95%

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 Gisborne: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Gisborne

$830 40.9% 69.1% $339

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Gisborne

$325 16% 21.9% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Gisborne

$196 9.7% 57.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gisborne

$138 6.8% 12.9% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gisborne

$361 17.8% 197% $239

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Gisborne

$62 3.1% 24.5% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Gisborne

$117 5.8% 66.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,013 in Gisborne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $55 in Gisborne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $325 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Gisborne

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

11:14 11:14 AM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

37,300

💱 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 Gisborne 9,670 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gisborne

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 Gisborne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,044 in Gisborne 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 $1,013 in Gisborne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,029 in Gisborne – Phuket is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 43% less than in Gisborne. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,029 in Gisborne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Gisborne. 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Gisborne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Gisborne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.