Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kimberley

For one person, living is cheaper in Kimberley: $1,138 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kimberley
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Kimberley Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Kimberley

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kimberley

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,138 in Kimberley, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Kimberley $1,138

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,907 in Kimberley, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Kimberley $1,907

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,676 in Kimberley, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Kimberley $2,676

Phuket costs about 6% more than Kimberley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Kimberley are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Kimberley 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$12.12 R 200

-63.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$36.35 R 599

-11.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.22 R 103

40.84%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.99 R 49.32

-5.35%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.29 R 21.17

-30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.30 R 21.49

-63.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.79 R 45.92

-8.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.67 R 44.00

43.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.55 R 25.50

11.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.16 R 19.03

26.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.94 R 48.49

-48.64%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.91 R 48.01

-25.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$6.52 R 107

202.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.89 R 97.0

-43.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.33 R 137

33.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.35 R 38.64

21.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.44 R 40.25

-30.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.78 R 29.25

23.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.34 R 55.0

-38.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.52 R 24.99

-4.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.41 R 23.18

-2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.39 R 22.85

-23.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.90 R 14.76

-43.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.28 R 54.0

29.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$6.56 R 108

183.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.30 R 37.83

-22.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.87 R 47.29

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.53 R 25.15

47.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$33.18 R 547

-33.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.58 R 9.55

418.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.82 R 13.51

29.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$13.15 R 217

-70.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.45 R 23.81

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$37.5K R 617.3K

-29.73%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$38.3K R 630.5K

-29.59%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$108 R 1,772

-10.39%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$35.15 R 579

-68.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$42.40 R 699

-59.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$22.40 R 369

132.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.56 R 174

5.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$7.16 R 118

9.08%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$242 R 3,981

130.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,107 R 100.6K

89.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$54.5 R 897

17.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$30.14 R 497

-4.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$101 R 1,669

-5.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$90.8 R 1,495

-3.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$263 R 4,329

180.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$338 R 5,574

36.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$645 R 10.6K

225.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$928 R 15.3K

29.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$806 R 13.3K

332.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$619 R 10.2K

307.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$949 R 15.6K

-47.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.94

-49.09%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kimberley: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Kimberley

$338 29.7% 26.8% $124

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Kimberley

$229 20.1% 14.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Kimberley

$185 16.3% 48.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Kimberley

$124 10.9% 0.1% $0.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Kimberley

$181 15.9% 49.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Kimberley

$37 3.2% 45.8% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Kimberley

$44 3.9% 11.5% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $263 in Kimberley. 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 90% higher in Kimberley, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $36.00 in Kimberley. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Phuket vs $229 in Kimberley – so Kimberley wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Kimberley

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

225,160

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 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 Kimberley 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kimberley

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 Kimberley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,708 in Kimberley. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $1,138 in Kimberley. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Kimberley. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kimberley, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Kimberley it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kimberley – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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