Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Paeroa

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,990 in Paeroa, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Paeroa
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Paeroa Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Paeroa

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Paeroa

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,990 in Paeroa, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Paeroa $1,990

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $2,974 in Paeroa, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Paeroa $2,974

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $3,959 in Paeroa, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Paeroa $3,959

Phuket is about 35% cheaper than Paeroa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Paeroa is 47% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$14.41 NZ$25.61

-69.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$69.3 NZ$123

-53.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$8.83 NZ$15.69

-1.47%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.28 NZ$5.82

-17.07%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$2.00 NZ$3.56

-53.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$1.85 NZ$3.29

-72.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$6.21 NZ$11.03

-59.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$6.07 NZ$10.79

-40.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.76 NZ$3.13

-1.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.99 NZ$3.54

-27.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.72 NZ$3.05

-12.79%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$5.76 NZ$10.23

-62.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$8.26 NZ$14.67

131.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$9.22 NZ$16.37

-63.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$14.46 NZ$25.69

-24.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$2.58 NZ$4.59

13.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.15 NZ$3.82

-21.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$3.12 NZ$5.54

-29.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$5.40 NZ$9.59

-60.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$2.00 NZ$3.55

-27.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.45 NZ$2.58

-5.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$2.21 NZ$3.93

-51.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$1.06 NZ$1.88

-48.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$23.99 NZ$42.61

-81.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$8.93 NZ$15.87

104.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$3.07 NZ$5.46

-42.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.31 NZ$5.88

-12.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$2.03 NZ$3.61

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$102 NZ$181

-46.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.33 NZ$4.14

-35.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$1.87 NZ$3.32

-58.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$29.67 NZ$52.7

-87.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.75 NZ$3.11

-14.86%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$27.5K NZ$48.8K

-2.25%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$23.0K NZ$40.9K

14.52%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$110 NZ$196

-11.28%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$28.61 NZ$50.8

-60.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$52.2 NZ$92.7

-67.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$38.57 NZ$68.5

77.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$11.56 NZ$20.53

-35.73%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$676 NZ$1,200

-21.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$17.2K NZ$30.5K

9.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$63.7 NZ$113

-3.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$35.94 NZ$63.9

-21.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$93.7 NZ$166

2.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$110 NZ$196

-21.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,044 NZ$1,854

-30.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$922 NZ$1,638

-44.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$881 NZ$1,565

121.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$1,500 NZ$2,665

-6.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$4,836 NZ$8,591

-13.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$3,330 NZ$5,915

-0.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.83

-4.46%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Paeroa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Paeroa

$922 46.3% 81.2% $413

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Paeroa

$317 15.9% 18.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Paeroa

$191 9.6% 51.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Paeroa

$137 6.9% 11.3% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Paeroa

$240 12.1% 101% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Paeroa

$62 3.1% 25.8% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Paeroa

$122 6.1% 84.1% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $1,044 in Paeroa. 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 $69 in Paeroa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $317 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Paeroa

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

19:06 7:06 PM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.5 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.5 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Paeroa 9,430 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Paeroa

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 Paeroa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $1,990 in Paeroa – Phuket comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $2,985 in Paeroa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $1,044 in Paeroa.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $676 in Paeroa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Paeroa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Paeroa at $1,990. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Paeroa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – 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.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 35% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.