Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Port Shepstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Shepstone: $1,058 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Port Shepstone
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Port Shepstone Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Port Shepstone

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,058 in Port Shepstone.

Phuket $1,208
Port Shepstone $1,058

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,592 in Port Shepstone.

Phuket $2,027
Port Shepstone $1,592

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,126 in Port Shepstone.

Phuket $2,845
Port Shepstone $2,126

Living in Phuket is roughly 14% more expensive than in Port Shepstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Port Shepstone 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$7.68 R 127

-42.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$38.93 R 641

-17.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.06 R 99.8

44.55%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.72 R 44.89

4.04%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.11 R 18.28

-18.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.85 R 13.98

-44.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.46 R 40.54

3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.61 R 42.96

46.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.89 R 14.70

94.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.71 R 11.74

107.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.20 R 19.80

25.83%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.50 R 24.68

44.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$7.14 R 118

175.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.63 R 59.8

-7.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.22 R 119

54.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.19 R 19.63

139.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.72 R 11.85

136.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$0.62 R 10.27

253.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.55 R 25.49

32.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.60 R 9.83

141.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.46 R 24.11

-5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.92 R 15.18

16.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.59 R 9.64

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.73 R 61.5

14.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$4.73 R 78.0

292.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.48 R 24.39

20.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.95 R 32.05

46.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.72 R 28.37

31.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.41 R 6.78

634.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.75 R 12.42

41.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.83 R 129

-50.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.33 R 21.86

9.02%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$34.9K R 575.0K

-24.56%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$33.1K R 544.9K

-18.54%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$123 R 2,025

-21.60%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$18.38 R 303

-39.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$37.21 R 613

-53.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$31.90 R 526

63.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.48 R 156

17.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$7.50 R 124

4.13%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$314 R 5,180

76.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,567 R 124.7K

53.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$54.0 R 889

19.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$30.29 R 499

-5.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$100 R 1,653

-4.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$84.3 R 1,389

4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$426 R 7,013

73.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$418 R 6,887

10.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$634 R 10.5K

230.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$729 R 12.0K

64.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$927 R 15.3K

276.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$775 R 12.8K

225.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$3,033 R 50.0K

-83.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.78

-52.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Port Shepstone

$418 39.5% 9.6% $44

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Port Shepstone

$145 13.7% 46.1% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Port Shepstone

$179 16.9% 43.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Port Shepstone

$121 11.4% 2.7% $3.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Port Shepstone

$138 13% 13.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Port Shepstone

$47 4.4% 30.8% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Port Shepstone

$11 * 1.1% 71.9% $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 $737 in Phuket and $426 in Port Shepstone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Shepstone pays 506% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $39.00 in Port Shepstone. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $145, with Port Shepstone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🕒 Local time

02:14 2:14 AM

21:14 9:14 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

52,793

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Port Shepstone 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Port Shepstone

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 Port Shepstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Shepstone is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 506% lower in Port Shepstone. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $426 in Port Shepstone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $314 in Port Shepstone. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Shepstone – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,058 in Port Shepstone versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Shepstone but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Port Shepstone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Port Shepstone is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Port Shepstone 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 Port Shepstone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.