Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Oudtshoorn

For one person, living is cheaper in Oudtshoorn: $1,096 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Oudtshoorn
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Oudtshoorn Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Oudtshoorn

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,096

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Oudtshoorn

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,096 in Oudtshoorn.

Phuket $1,207
Oudtshoorn $1,096

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,716 in Oudtshoorn.

Phuket $2,037
Oudtshoorn $1,716

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,336 in Oudtshoorn.

Phuket $2,867
Oudtshoorn $2,336

Living in Phuket is roughly 10% more expensive than in Oudtshoorn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Oudtshoorn 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$9.59 R 158

-52.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$40.39 R 665

-19.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$5.59 R 92.1

52.95%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.29 R 37.80

18.78%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.08 R 17.81

-12.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.88 R 14.53

-44.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.31 R 38.07

12.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.73 R 45.03

40.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.20 R 19.71

45.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.12 R 18.39

27.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.73 R 28.44

-11.56%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.53 R 41.66

-14.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$8.40 R 138

127.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$4.99 R 82.1

-33.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$7.10 R 117

56.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.81 R 29.84

62.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.59 R 26.25

5.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.78 R 29.36

29.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.64 R 27.01

29.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.46 R 24.11

4.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.40 R 23.05

-2.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.18 R 19.41

-5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.18 R 19.50

-53.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.33 R 54.9

27.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$4.84 R 79.8

275.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.37 R 22.57

27.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.95 R 32.15

43.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.51 R 24.93

47.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.58 R 9.49

401.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.92 R 15.14

9.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$11.88 R 196

-67.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.50 R 24.75

-0.67%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$35.4K R 582.6K

-24.55%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$31.2K R 513.8K

-14.34%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$145 R 2,396

-31.68%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$34.39 R 567

-67.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$36.84 R 607

-52.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$31.59 R 520

65.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$10.71 R 176

1.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.18 R 118

5.43%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$240 R 3,953

132.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$5,512 R 90.8K

108.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$52.9 R 871

18.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$33.00 R 544

-13.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$101 R 1,663

-4.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$87.1 R 1,434

1.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$397 R 6,539

83.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$361 R 5,946

27.44%

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

$740 R 12.2K

65.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$865 R 14.2K

300.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$652 R 10.7K

282.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.94

-49.09%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Oudtshoorn: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Oudtshoorn

$361 33% 21.5% $99

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Oudtshoorn

$192 17.5% 28.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Oudtshoorn

$217 19.8% 69.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Oudtshoorn

$123 11.2% 0.7% $0.8

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Oudtshoorn

$146 13.3% 20.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Oudtshoorn

$46 4.2% 31.8% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Oudtshoorn

$11 * 1% 71.1% $28

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 $397 in Oudtshoorn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $40.00 in Oudtshoorn. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $192, with Oudtshoorn cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Oudtshoorn

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

08:29 8:29 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

61,507

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Oudtshoorn 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Oudtshoorn

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 Oudtshoorn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oudtshoorn wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Oudtshoorn the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,644 in Oudtshoorn to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $397 in Oudtshoorn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $240 in Oudtshoorn. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Oudtshoorn – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,096 in Oudtshoorn versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oudtshoorn but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Oudtshoorn the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Oudtshoorn delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,096 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Oudtshoorn hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Oudtshoorn 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 Oudtshoorn gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.