Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hillcrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hillcrest

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,081 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Hillcrest $1,081

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,686 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Hillcrest $1,686

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,292 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Hillcrest $2,292

Phuket costs about 20% more than Hillcrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Hillcrest are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Hillcrest 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$7.87 R 130

-44.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$38.34 R 631

-15.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$6.01 R 98.9

44.76%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.71 R 44.65

0.37%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.14 R 18.75

-18.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.90 R 14.75

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.45 R 40.33

3.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.50 R 41.15

45.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.18 R 19.33

47.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$0.98 R 16.18

47.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.50 R 24.65

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.32 R 38.20

-6.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$8.19 R 135

133.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.05 R 83.0

-32.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.27 R 120

49.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.29 R 21.28

127.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.93 R 31.68

-12.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.95 R 32.02

12.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.73 R 28.50

22.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.46 R 24.05

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.44 R 23.74

-4.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.21 R 19.83

-10.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$1.14 R 18.76

-51.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.71 R 61.0

19.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$4.80 R 78.9

280.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.41 R 23.16

25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.96 R 32.28

46.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$1.54 R 25.25

-5.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.44 R 7.16

243.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.71 R 11.64

9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.70 R 127

-50.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.45 R 23.91

2.76%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$35.2K R 579.2K

-23.65%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$33.1K R 543.7K

-20.29%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$153 R 2,517

-36.08%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$35.61 R 586

-68.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$39.04 R 642

-55.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$33.00 R 543

107.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$13.55 R 223

-19.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$7.29 R 120

1.92%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$310 R 5,106

70.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$7,429 R 122.2K

152.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$51.6 R 849

19.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$27.96 R 460

1.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$97.0 R 1,595

-0.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$79.2 R 1,302

9.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$377 R 6,195

91.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$353 R 5,800

44.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$640 R 10.5K

204.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$732 R 12.0K

90.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$764 R 12.6K

449.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$575 R 9,455

473.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.78

-52.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Hillcrest

$353 32.6% 30.7% $156

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Hillcrest

$189 17.5% 29.1% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Hillcrest

$228 21.1% 80.3% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Hillcrest

$115 10.6% 6.3% $7.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Hillcrest

$139 12.9% 16.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Hillcrest

$48 4.4% 42.8% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9% 84.7% $56

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $377 in Hillcrest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $38 in Hillcrest. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $189 in Hillcrest – so Hillcrest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Hillcrest 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hillcrest

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 Hillcrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,081 in Hillcrest – Hillcrest comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,622 in Hillcrest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $721 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $38 in Hillcrest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,294 in Phuket and $1,081 in Hillcrest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,081 in Hillcrest to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.