Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Margate

For one person, living is cheaper in Margate: $889 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Margate
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Margate Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Margate

🇿🇦 South Africa

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Margate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $889 in Margate.

Phuket $1,207
Margate $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,410 in Margate.

Phuket $2,037
Margate $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,932 in Margate.

Phuket $2,867
Margate $1,932

Living in Phuket is roughly 36% more expensive than in Margate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Margate 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$7.83 R 129

-41.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$35.95 R 592

-9.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$5.97 R 98.4

43.22%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.80 R 29.58

51.11%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.03 R 16.99

-8.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.76 R 12.60

-35.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.43 R 39.96

6.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.27 R 37.38

68.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.02 R 16.77

70.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.92 R 15.10

55.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.05 R 17.37

45.71%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.36 R 38.87

-8.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$4.98 R 82.0

284.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.37 R 55.6

-2.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$6.05 R 99.7

84.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.15 R 18.87

156.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.19 R 19.54

41.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.05 R 17.37

119.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.44 R 23.78

47.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.08 R 17.78

41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.30 R 21.43

4.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.09 R 17.96

2.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.95 R 15.63

-42.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.58 R 26.04

169.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$3.49 R 57.5

421.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.45 R 23.92

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.81 R 29.90

54.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.52 R 25.09

46.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.41 R 6.75

609.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.74 R 12.23

36.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$7.46 R 123

-48.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.35 R 22.31

10.37%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$35.5K R 584.5K

-24.80%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$30.9K R 508.8K

-13.51%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$60.9 R 1,003

63.20%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$18.27 R 301

-38.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$33.36 R 550

-47.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$32.27 R 532

62.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$10.59 R 174

2.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$4.12 R 68.0

83.74%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$304 R 5,016

83.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$7,507 R 123.7K

53.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$54.2 R 893

15.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$18.33 R 302

55.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$71.8 R 1,183

33.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$48.57 R 800

81.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$396 R 6,527

84.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$366 R 6,028

25.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$741 R 12.2K

182.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$722 R 11.9K

69.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$888 R 14.6K

289.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$666 R 11.0K

273.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,528 R 25.2K

-67.74%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Margate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Margate

$366 41.2% 20.4% $94

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Margate

$147 16.5% 45.2% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Margate

$113 12.7% 12.1% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Margate

$87 9.8% 30% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Margate

$126 14.2% 3.8% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Margate

$41 4.6% 39.9% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Margate

$10 * 1.2% 73.7% $29

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 $729 in Phuket and $396 in Margate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Margate pays 210% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $36.00 in Margate. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $147, with Margate cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Margate

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

34,407

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Margate 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Margate

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 Margate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Margate wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Margate the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 210% lower in Margate. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $396 in Margate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $304 in Margate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Margate – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $889 in Margate versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Margate but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Margate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Margate delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $889 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Margate hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Margate are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Margate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.