Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and New Plymouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,820 in New Plymouth, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
88

Cost of Living Index in New Plymouth
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New Plymouth Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

New Plymouth

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in New Plymouth

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,820 in New Plymouth.

Phuket $1,278
New Plymouth $1,820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,828 in New Plymouth.

Phuket $2,216
New Plymouth $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,836 in New Plymouth.

Phuket $3,154
New Plymouth $3,836

Living in Phuket costs roughly 30% less than in New Plymouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, New Plymouth is 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.43 NZ$22.09

-64.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$67.9 NZ$121

-52.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.44 NZ$14.99

4.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.34 NZ$5.94

-15.27%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.12 NZ$3.77

-58.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.85 NZ$3.28

-73.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.32 NZ$9.46

-51.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.65 NZ$10.04

-34.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.44 NZ$2.56

15.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.25 NZ$2.22

16.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.65 NZ$2.92

-9.09%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.53 NZ$9.83

-62.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.52 NZ$9.80

245.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.19 NZ$12.78

-54.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.42 NZ$20.31

-4.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.63 NZ$4.67

11.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.86 NZ$3.30

-9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.93 NZ$5.21

-23.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$6.12 NZ$10.87

-66.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.99 NZ$3.53

-24.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.41 NZ$2.51

-2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.88 NZ$3.34

-43.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.32 NZ$2.35

-60.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$23.12 NZ$41.09

-81.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.73 NZ$15.53

115.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.03 NZ$5.38

-39.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.78 NZ$6.73

-24.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.68 NZ$2.99

-13.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$74.6 NZ$133

-24.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.68 NZ$6.54

-17.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.67 NZ$2.97

-11.98%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$28.7K NZ$51.0K

-6.61%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$22.8K NZ$40.5K

17.11%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$130 NZ$231

-25.80%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$27.85 NZ$49.50

-59.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$48.35 NZ$86.0

-65.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$43.29 NZ$77.0

55.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.20 NZ$14.57

-8.54%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$680 NZ$1,208

-29.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$23.1K NZ$41.0K

-51.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$61.3 NZ$109

1.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$38.74 NZ$68.9

-26.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$90.6 NZ$161

4.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$106 NZ$188

-18.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$907 NZ$1,613

-21.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$836 NZ$1,487

-41.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,740 NZ$3,093

10.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,589 NZ$2,824

-9.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,209 NZ$5,704

30.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,622 NZ$4,661

16.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,787 NZ$4,954

-81.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.93

-6.07%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for New Plymouth: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

New Plymouth

$836 45.9% 70.4% $345

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

New Plymouth

$281 15.5% 5.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

New Plymouth

$206 11.3% 65.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

New Plymouth

$133 7.3% 9.5% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

New Plymouth

$219 12% 79.6% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

New Plymouth

$60 3.3% 27.4% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

New Plymouth

$85 * 4.7% 20.5% $14

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 $907 in New Plymouth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Plymouth pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $68 in New Plymouth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $281 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 New Plymouth

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

15:07 3:07 PM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

58,400

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket New Plymouth 9,350 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
New Plymouth

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 New Plymouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,820 in New Plymouth, so Phuket is about 30% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 82% 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 $907 in New Plymouth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 24% less than in New Plymouth. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $680 in New Plymouth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,820 in New Plymouth, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in New Plymouth. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in New Plymouth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.