Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Johannesburg

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Phuket vs $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Phuket $1,190
Johannesburg $1,406

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Phuket vs $2,192 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Phuket $2,006
Johannesburg $2,192

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Phuket vs $2,978 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Phuket $2,822
Johannesburg $2,978

Phuket is about 15% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$11.96 R 197

-63.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$44.08 R 727

-26.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$7.41 R 122

13.63%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$2.47 R 40.67

13.77%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.17 R 19.36

-25.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.87 R 14.41

-47.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.26 R 37.31

14.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$2.78 R 45.86

30.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.34 R 22.12

27.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.24 R 20.41

16.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.78 R 29.33

-12.36%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$2.64 R 43.59

-20.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$8.42 R 139

131.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.36 R 88.4

-36.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$8.43 R 139

32.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$2.05 R 33.76

38.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.80 R 29.65

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.84 R 30.32

20.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$2.03 R 33.47

5.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$1.71 R 28.23

-12.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$1.83 R 30.16

-27.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.41 R 23.34

-24.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$1.32 R 21.82

-61.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$3.38 R 55.8

29.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$5.99 R 98.8

213.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.84 R 30.31

-5.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.44 R 40.28

13.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.05 R 33.85

5.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$89.5 R 1,477

-75.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$0.82 R 13.58

268.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.93 R 15.41

13.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$14.67 R 242

-74.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.50 R 24.77

-4.67%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$36.0K R 594.6K

-26.89%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$32.7K R 539.8K

-19.91%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$227 R 3,751

-57.48%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$37.98 R 627

-69.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$36.49 R 602

-53.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$36.84 R 608

43.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$17.39 R 287

-36.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$7.84 R 129

-2.42%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$238 R 3,931

132.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$5,563 R 91.8K

102.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$58.6 R 967

8.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$46.52 R 768

-38.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$109 R 1,796

-11.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$105 R 1,738

-15.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$496 R 8,177

48.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$422 R 6,958

8.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$979 R 16.1K

114.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$892 R 14.7K

33.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$964 R 15.9K

262.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$757 R 12.5K

229.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$1,755 R 29.0K

-71.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.91

-48.95%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Johannesburg

$422 29.9% 7.9% $36

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Johannesburg

$216 15.3% 19.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Johannesburg

$302 21.4% 141% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Johannesburg

$144 10.2% 15.1% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Johannesburg

$173 12.2% 44.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Johannesburg

$53 3.7% 22.9% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 163% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $735 in Phuket versus $496 in Johannesburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 250% higher in Johannesburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $44.00 in Johannesburg. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Phuket vs $216 in Johannesburg – so Johannesburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

12:33 12:33 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,434,827

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Johannesburg 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Johannesburg

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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 18% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Phuket and $2,109 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $44.00 in Johannesburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Phuket and $1,406 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 18%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Johannesburg at $1,406. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,190 versus $1,406 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.