Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Knysna

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,193 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Knysna

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,193 in Knysna, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Knysna $1,193

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,775 in Knysna, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Knysna $1,775

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,357 in Knysna, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Knysna $2,357

Phuket costs about 8% more than Knysna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Knysna are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Knysna 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$9.44 R 155

-53.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$39.22 R 645

-17.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$5.80 R 95.4

50.00%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.09 R 34.33

30.14%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.04 R 17.13

-10.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.74 R 12.15

-32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.36 R 38.78

7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.72 R 44.79

33.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.16 R 19.16

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.00 R 16.42

45.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.49 R 24.52

0.67%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.70 R 44.46

-19.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$8.56 R 141

123.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.87 R 80.2

-30.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$8.10 R 133

34.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.63 R 26.88

80.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.46 R 23.97

15.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.56 R 25.70

40.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.52 R 24.98

39.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.66 R 27.33

-12.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.43 R 23.60

-4.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.22 R 20.01

-11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$1.02 R 16.84

-46.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.19 R 52.5

38.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$4.72 R 77.7

286.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.19 R 19.53

48.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.46 R 23.97

97.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$1.79 R 29.43

-18.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.83 R 13.62

81.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.52 R 8.53

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$8.29 R 136

-53.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.47 R 24.21

1.36%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$23.4K R 384.8K

14.93%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$28.2K R 464.6K

-6.71%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$110 R 1,815

-11.32%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$32.86 R 541

-65.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$43.51 R 716

-60.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$47.47 R 781

43.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$10.83 R 178

0.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$8.55 R 141

-13.10%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$176 R 2,900

200.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$5,855 R 96.3K

220.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$41.94 R 690

47.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$33.00 R 543

-14.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$107 R 1,766

-10.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$75.9 R 1,248

14.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$505 R 8,301

42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$486 R 8,001

4.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$808 R 13.3K

141.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$794 R 13.1K

75.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$755 R 12.4K

455.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,011 R 16.6K

226.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$940 R 15.5K

-47.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.83

-52.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Knysna: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Knysna

$486 40.8% 4.4% $23

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Knysna

$187 15.7% 30% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Knysna

$187 15.6% 47.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Knysna

$116 9.7% 5.3% $6.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Knysna

$142 11.9% 19% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Knysna

$65 5.4% 22.4% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Knysna

$11 * 0.9% 84% $55

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 $505 in Knysna. 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 91% higher in Knysna, 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 in Phuket versus $39 in Knysna. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $187 in Knysna – so Knysna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Knysna

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

51,078

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Knysna 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Knysna

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 Knysna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,790 in Knysna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Knysna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $505 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,193 in Knysna. That makes Knysna about 8% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $176 in Knysna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,294 in Phuket and $1,193 in Knysna, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.