Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Newcastle, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle: $1,020 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
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Newcastle Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Newcastle

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Newcastle

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,020 in Newcastle, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Newcastle $1,020

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,627 in Newcastle, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Newcastle $1,627

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,235 in Newcastle, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Newcastle $2,235

Phuket costs about 27% more than Newcastle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Newcastle are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Newcastle 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$9.14 R 150

-51.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$36.28 R 597

-10.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$5.33 R 87.7

63.23%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.28 R 37.49

19.30%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.03 R 16.87

-9.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.81 R 13.28

-38.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$2.36 R 38.83

7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.38 R 55.5

7.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.19 R 19.56

46.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.10 R 18.08

31.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.34 R 21.97

11.94%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.83 R 30.16

18.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$6.79 R 112

181.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.97 R 81.8

-31.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$7.43 R 122

46.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$0.84 R 13.89

250.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.03 R 16.87

64.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$0.93 R 15.28

135.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.37 R 22.61

54.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$0.96 R 15.73

52.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.23 R 20.29

11.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.77 R 12.65

40.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.61 R 10.04

-9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.22 R 53.0

37.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$2.93 R 48.14

522.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.37 R 22.56

29.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$0.88 R 14.42

227.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$1.59 R 26.16

-8.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.31 R 5.18

387.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.76 R 12.57

2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$14.48 R 238

-73.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.53 R 25.23

-2.61%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$35.8K R 589.4K

-24.97%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$34.1K R 561.5K

-22.82%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$154 R 2,534

-36.50%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$37.56 R 618

-69.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$36.63 R 603

-53.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$32.65 R 537

109.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$10.38 R 171

5.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$7.29 R 120

1.92%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$265 R 4,364

99.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$6,178 R 101.6K

204.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$52.7 R 867

16.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$32.02 R 527

-11.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$91.7 R 1,509

4.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$82.1 R 1,351

5.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$434 R 7,135

66.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$321 R 5,274

58.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$759 R 12.5K

157.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$751 R 12.4K

85.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$676 R 11.1K

520.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$704 R 11.6K

368.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.34

-50.88%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Newcastle: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Newcastle

$321 31.5% 37% $188

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Newcastle

$154 15.1% 42.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Newcastle

$228 22.4% 80.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Newcastle

$116 11.4% 5.2% $6.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Newcastle

$142 14% 19.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Newcastle

$47 4.6% 43.2% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Newcastle

$11 * 1% 84.1% $56

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 $434 in Newcastle. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $36 in Newcastle. Groceries tell a different story – $267 in Phuket vs $154 in Newcastle – so Newcastle wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Newcastle

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

22:00 10:00 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

363,236

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Newcastle 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Newcastle

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 Newcastle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,020 in Newcastle – Newcastle comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,529 in Newcastle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Newcastle, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,020 in Newcastle. That makes Newcastle about 21% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $265 in Newcastle. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,294 in Phuket and $1,020 in Newcastle, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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