Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mossel Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mossel Bay: $1,094 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Mossel Bay
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Mossel Bay Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mossel Bay

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,094 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Mossel Bay $1,094

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,720 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Mossel Bay $1,720

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,346 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Mossel Bay $2,346

Phuket costs about 17% more than Mossel Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Mossel Bay are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Mossel Bay 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.39 R 239

-68.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$48.69 R 809

-33.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.51 R 141

3.53%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.56 R 42.60

10.55%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.39 R 23.09

-37.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.95 R 15.72

-48.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.45 R 40.63

4.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.97 R 49.41

23.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.10 R 18.20

50.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.07 R 17.84

36.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.68 R 44.53

-44.03%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.14 R 52.1

-33.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$9.54 R 158

99.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.28 R 87.7

-37.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.90 R 131

38.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.94 R 32.18

51.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.31 R 21.84

29.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.78 R 29.59

26.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.02 R 33.63

2.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.45 R 24.02

4.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.70 R 28.18

-18.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.21 R 20.13

-11.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.22 R 20.22

-57.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.71 R 61.7

13.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$4.92 R 81.7

281.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.06 R 34.17

-11.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.87 R 30.98

51.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.37 R 22.71

5.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.62 R 10.23

387.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.89 R 14.72

14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$11.37 R 189

-67.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.44 R 23.87

2.08%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$28.6K R 475.1K

-6.39%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$27.1K R 449.5K

-1.37%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$109 R 1,805

-11.32%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.95 R 298

-37.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$42.87 R 712

-60.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$21.03 R 349

219.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$10.91 R 181

-1.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.18 R 119

4.46%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$275 R 4,573

72.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$5,404 R 89.8K

108.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$47.97 R 797

30.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$21.02 R 349

35.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$98.6 R 1,638

-4.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$66.6 R 1,106

28.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$503 R 8,350

42.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$364 R 6,051

34.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,033 R 17.2K

86.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$686 R 11.4K

108.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$597 R 9,913

599.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$610 R 10.1K

399.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,505 R 25.0K

-66.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.75

-52.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mossel Bay: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Mossel Bay

$364 33.3% 25.8% $127

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Mossel Bay

$210 19.2% 21.3% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Mossel Bay

$169 15.5% 36.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mossel Bay

$105 9.6% 13.5% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Mossel Bay

$199 18.2% 63.5% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Mossel Bay

$35 3.2% 57% $47

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Mossel Bay

$11 * 1% 85.1% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $503 in Mossel Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Mossel Bay are about 3 times higher, 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 $49 in Mossel Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $210 in Mossel Bay – so Mossel Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Mossel Bay

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

08:17 8:17 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

60,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 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 Mossel Bay 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mossel Bay

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 Mossel Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,094 in Mossel Bay – Mossel Bay comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,640 in Mossel Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mossel Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $503 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $49 in Mossel Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,094 in Mossel Bay, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mossel Bay – 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.