Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pietermaritzburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pietermaritzburg

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 4.2% more expensive than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 20.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 0.3% more expensive than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 53.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.59 ฿147
$7.96 R 130
-42.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.83 ฿1,497
$43.18 R 704
8.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿278
$5.51 R 89.8
57.89%
Cappuccino
$2.92 ฿93.5
$2.12 R 34.57
37.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 ฿21.86
$0.87 R 14.16
-21.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ฿12.66
$0.69 R 11.29
-42.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.51 ฿80.2
$1.63 R 26.61
53.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 ฿122
$2.42 R 39.49
57.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ฿69.1
$1.07 R 17.46
101.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.88 ฿60.1
$0.80 R 13.07
135.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.16 ฿69.0
$1.50 R 24.48
44.00%
Eggs
$2.22 ฿71.0
$2.25 R 36.69
-1.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.57 ฿626
$7.04 R 115
177.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.80 ฿122
$4.69 R 76.4
-18.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.41 ฿429
$7.02 R 114
91.03%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 ฿104
$1.66 R 27.14
96.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.5
$1.76 R 28.75
-8.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 ฿73.8
$2.00 R 32.67
15.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 ฿65.8
$1.67 R 27.16
23.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.3
$1.48 R 24.06
8.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.44 ฿46.13
$1.78 R 28.98
-19.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 ฿32.91
$1.28 R 20.92
-19.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿15.34
$0.96 R 15.69
-50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.50 ฿144
$2.90 R 47.29
55.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.18 ฿613
$3.61 R 58.9
431.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿58.3
$1.45 R 23.62
25.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 ฿86.0
$1.78 R 28.94
51.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.38 ฿44.04
$2.70 R 44.03
-48.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ฿376
$18.09 R 295
-34.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿99.3
$1.64 R 26.71
89.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.00 ฿32.09
$0.53 R 8.59
88.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.74 ฿439
$3.97 R 64.7
246.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 ฿41.49
$1.24 R 20.29
4.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ฿874.5K
$24.0K R 391.2K
13.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.0K ฿1.1M
$22.6K R 368.0K
46.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$125 ฿3,993
$237 R 3,857
-47.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.74 ฿439
$30.12 R 491
-54.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.61 ฿595
$58.2 R 948
-68.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.6 ฿1,936
$38.31 R 624
58.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.15 ฿548
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.01 ฿288
$5.08 R 82.8
77.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.3K
$149 R 2,427
368.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K ฿515.1K
$4,742 R 77.3K
239.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.2 ฿1,893
$61.1 R 996
-3.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.86 ฿1,115
$38.43 R 626
-9.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ฿3,651
$181 R 2,947
-36.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,743
$73.5 R 1,197
16.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$619 ฿19.8K
$208 R 3,398
196.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$437 ฿14.0K
$185 R 3,018
135.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,075 ฿66.3K
$518 R 8,449
300.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,509 ฿48.2K
$381 R 6,212
295.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,764 ฿120.3K
$756 R 12.3K
398.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,694 ฿86.1K
$445 R 7,247
505.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$528 ฿16.9K
$884 R 14.4K
-40.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
11.5
-53.65%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: April 12, 2026

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

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