Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Klerksdorp

For one person, living is cheaper in Klerksdorp: $1,094 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Klerksdorp
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Klerksdorp Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Klerksdorp

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Klerksdorp

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,094 in Klerksdorp.

Phuket $1,278
Klerksdorp $1,094

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,683 in Klerksdorp.

Phuket $2,216
Klerksdorp $1,683

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,272 in Klerksdorp.

Phuket $3,154
Klerksdorp $2,272

Living in Phuket is roughly 17% more expensive than in Klerksdorp, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Klerksdorp 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.93 R 149

-49.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$37.08 R 618

-12.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.21 R 86.9

69.10%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.28 R 38.07

24.12%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.93 R 15.44

-6.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.82 R 13.61

-40.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.37 R 39.50

8.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.76 R 46.05

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.18 R 19.59

40.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.15 R 19.19

26.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.86 R 30.92

-19.35%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.38 R 39.59

-12.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.32 R 139

129.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.69 R 61.5

-10.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.62 R 110

64.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.80 R 29.93

62.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.70 R 28.31

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.81 R 30.17

24.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.65 R 27.46

26.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.64 R 10.63

135.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.24 R 20.63

11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.99 R 16.56

8.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.28 R 21.35

-59.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.34 R 55.7

25.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.11 R 85.1

267.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.52 R 25.31

19.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.90 R 31.73

49.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.54 R 25.74

-5.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.29 R 4.81

941.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.81 R 13.52

25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.97 R 49.53

24.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.38 R 22.99

6.52%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$24.0K R 400.5K

11.42%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$24.6K R 410.5K

8.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$151 R 2,517

-36.22%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$37.16 R 619

-69.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$37.01 R 617

-54.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$32.74 R 546

105.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.88 R 181

-1.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.13 R 119

5.19%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$120 R 2,008

295.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$5,496 R 91.6K

104.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$54.4 R 907

14.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$32.89 R 548

-13.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$94.4 R 1,573

-0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$84.3 R 1,405

1.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$389 R 6,480

84.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$369 R 6,157

32.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$729 R 12.1K

164.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$727 R 12.1K

96.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$860 R 14.3K

385.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$699 R 11.6K

335.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$906 R 15.1K

-44.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-38.11%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Klerksdorp: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Klerksdorp

$369 33.8% 24.7% $121

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Klerksdorp

$184 16.8% 31.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Klerksdorp

$225 20.6% 81% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Klerksdorp

$120 10.9% 1.8% $2.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Klerksdorp

$139 12.7% 14.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Klerksdorp

$47 4.3% 42.8% $35

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Klerksdorp

$11 * 1% 85.1% $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 $389 in Klerksdorp. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Klerksdorp pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $37 in Klerksdorp. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $184, with Klerksdorp cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Klerksdorp

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

00:05 12:05 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

186,515

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Klerksdorp 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Klerksdorp

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 Klerksdorp: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Klerksdorp wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Klerksdorp the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $389 in Klerksdorp. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,094 in Klerksdorp – Klerksdorp is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Klerksdorp is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Klerksdorp are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.