Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Howick

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,081 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
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Howick Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Howick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,081 in Howick.

Phuket $1,278
Howick $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,676 in Howick.

Phuket $2,216
Howick $1,676

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,271 in Howick.

Phuket $3,154
Howick $2,271

Living in Phuket is roughly 18% more expensive than in Howick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Howick 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.03 R 133

-44.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$38.85 R 645

-16.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.50 R 91.3

60.18%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.66 R 44.23

6.39%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.09 R 18.19

-20.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.92 R 15.32

-46.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.39 R 39.69

7.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.52 R 41.80

46.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.21 R 20.08

37.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.98 R 16.30

48.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.56 R 25.92

-3.85%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.34 R 38.88

-10.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$8.23 R 137

131.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.28 R 87.7

-37.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.20 R 120

51.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.99 R 33.03

47.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.88 R 31.24

-10.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.92 R 31.86

17.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.70 R 28.22

22.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.49 R 24.76

1.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.46 R 24.33

-5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.21 R 20.17

-11.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.19 R 19.78

-56.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.68 R 61.1

14.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$4.84 R 80.4

288.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.45 R 24.15

25.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.88 R 31.23

51.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.54 R 25.52

-5.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.45 R 7.49

571.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.75 R 12.41

36.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$7.56 R 126

-51.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.37 R 22.68

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$36.1K R 600.3K

-25.91%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$33.1K R 550.2K

-19.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$150 R 2,491

-35.75%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.25 R 253

-26.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$40.18 R 667

-58.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$31.93 R 530

110.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$10.99 R 183

-2.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.09 R 118

5.78%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$309 R 5,141

53.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$7,814 R 129.8K

44.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$54.1 R 899

15.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$30.61 R 508

-7.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$98.5 R 1,636

-4.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$84.3 R 1,400

1.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$395 R 6,567

81.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$366 R 6,078

34.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$735 R 12.2K

162.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$734 R 12.2K

94.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$868 R 14.4K

381.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$675 R 11.2K

350.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Howick: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Howick

$366 33.9% 25.5% $125

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Howick

$195 18% 26.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Howick

$205 19% 65% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Howick

$120 11.1% 1.2% $1.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Howick

$138 12.8% 13.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Howick

$46 4.3% 43.9% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Howick

$10 * 1% 85.4% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $395 in Howick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $39 in Howick. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $195, with Howick cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Howick

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

10:58 10:58 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

32,453

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Howick 8,380 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Howick

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 Howick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howick is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,621 in Howick 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 $395 in Howick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $309 in Howick. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $39 in Howick. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Howick 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 Howick are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.