Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pukekohe Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pukekohe

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,724 in Pukekohe.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $2,622 in Pukekohe.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $3,521 in Pukekohe.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 29% less than in Pukekohe, driven mainly by Getting Around.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 8% below, Pukekohe is 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$9.01 NZ$15.40

-48.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$39.69 NZ$67.9

18.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$5.52 NZ$9.43

60.14%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.39 NZ$4.09

25.52%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.92 NZ$1.57

-19.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$2.21 NZ$3.79

-83.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$4.78 NZ$8.17

-48.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$6.13 NZ$10.48

-41.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$0.96 NZ$1.65

135.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$0.57 NZ$0.98

222.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$1.10 NZ$1.89

103.64%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$6.74 NZ$11.52

-65.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$6.75 NZ$11.55

191.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$7.80 NZ$13.34

-53.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$12.96 NZ$22.16

1.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.47 NZ$4.22

37.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$2.26 NZ$3.86

-27.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$2.38 NZ$4.08

1.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$4.07 NZ$6.95

-50.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$2.06 NZ$3.52

-24.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.18 NZ$2.01

27.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$1.98 NZ$3.38

-48.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.61 NZ$1.05

-19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$19.93 NZ$34.07

-77.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$10.32 NZ$17.65

82.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.94 NZ$3.32

-8.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$3.86 NZ$6.61

-28.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$2.07 NZ$3.55

-32.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$64.6 NZ$110

-82.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$2.09 NZ$3.58

49.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$1.98 NZ$3.38

-49.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$34.82 NZ$59.5

-59.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.63 NZ$2.78

-17.18%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$28.1K NZ$48.1K

-3.31%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$22.5K NZ$38.5K

46.22%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$143 NZ$245

-12.72%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$31.00 NZ$53.0

-56.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$41.97 NZ$71.8

-55.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$36.55 NZ$62.5

68.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$12.20 NZ$20.87

38.03%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$9.19 NZ$15.71

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$916 NZ$1,566

-23.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$13.5K NZ$23.0K

15.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$69.7 NZ$119

-17.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$50.6 NZ$86.5

-30.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$98.0 NZ$168

15.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$126 NZ$215

-31.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$983 NZ$1,680

-37.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$781 NZ$1,335

-42.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$1,547 NZ$2,645

32.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$1,405 NZ$2,403

6.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$4,657 NZ$7,964

-18.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$3,821 NZ$6,533

-30.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

6.37

-16.33%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Pukekohe: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $983 in Pukekohe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $40.00 in Pukekohe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $262 per month, with Pukekohe cheaper across the board.

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 Pukekohe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $2,586 in Pukekohe 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: $616 in Phuket versus $983 in Pukekohe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $916 in Pukekohe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Pukekohe pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,724 in Pukekohe, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Pukekohe. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Phuket and Pukekohe 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Pukekohe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.