Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Queenstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $2,380 in Queenstown, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Queenstown
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Queenstown Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Queenstown

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,380

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Queenstown

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,380 in Queenstown.

Phuket $1,190
Queenstown $2,380

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $3,738 in Queenstown.

Phuket $2,006
Queenstown $3,738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $5,096 in Queenstown.

Phuket $2,822
Queenstown $5,096

Living in Phuket costs roughly 50% less than in Queenstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Queenstown is 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$14.19 NZ$25.28

-69.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$61.4 NZ$109

-47.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$9.19 NZ$16.38

-8.38%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$3.13 NZ$5.57

-10.22%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$2.02 NZ$3.61

-56.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$2.00 NZ$3.57

-77.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$6.80 NZ$12.11

-61.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$6.26 NZ$11.16

-41.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$2.15 NZ$3.82

-20.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.94 NZ$3.46

-25.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.71 NZ$3.04

-8.77%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$5.67 NZ$10.10

-62.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$8.10 NZ$14.43

141.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$9.89 NZ$17.62

-65.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$15.72 NZ$28.02

-29.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$2.87 NZ$5.11

-1.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.25 NZ$4.01

-28.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$3.68 NZ$6.55

-39.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$5.27 NZ$9.38

-59.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$3.41 NZ$6.08

-56.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$1.84 NZ$3.28

-27.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$2.35 NZ$4.18

-54.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$1.89 NZ$3.37

-73.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$27.36 NZ$48.75

-83.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$8.90 NZ$15.85

110.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$4.44 NZ$7.91

-60.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$6.40 NZ$11.40

-56.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$1.44 NZ$2.56

50.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$119 NZ$212

-81.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$2.59 NZ$4.61

16.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$1.87 NZ$3.32

-43.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$29.12 NZ$51.9

-87.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.72 NZ$3.06

-16.86%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$24.9K NZ$44.4K

5.75%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$23.2K NZ$41.4K

12.75%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$112 NZ$199

-13.57%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$28.02 NZ$49.93

-59.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$51.5 NZ$91.8

-66.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$54.3 NZ$96.8

-2.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$26.80 NZ$47.75

-58.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$10.41 NZ$18.54

-26.51%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$973 NZ$1,734

-42.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$7,592 NZ$13.5K

48.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$58.2 NZ$104

8.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$45.11 NZ$80.4

-36.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$90.3 NZ$161

7.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$136 NZ$242

-34.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$1,512 NZ$2,693

-51.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$1,270 NZ$2,263

-63.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$2,853 NZ$5,084

-26.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$2,522 NZ$4,493

-52.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$7,599 NZ$13.5K

-54.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$5,285 NZ$9,417

-52.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$3,052 NZ$5,438

-83.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.12

-8.99%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Queenstown: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Queenstown

$1.3K 52.5% 177% $812

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Queenstown

$359 14.8% 34% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Queenstown

$191 7.9% 52.9% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Queenstown

$148 6.1% 18.8% $23

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Queenstown

$241 10% 102% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Queenstown

$75 3.1% 10.4% $7.1

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Queenstown

$137 5.7% 248% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $1,512 in Queenstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Queenstown pays 509% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $61.0 in Queenstown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $359 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Queenstown

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,450

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.501 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 2 NZD (1 NZD = 0.501 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Queenstown 9,120 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Queenstown

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 Queenstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 100% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 509% lower in Queenstown. 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: $735 in Phuket versus $1,512 in Queenstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $973 in Queenstown. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Queenstown. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,380 in Queenstown, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Queenstown. 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 Queenstown, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Queenstown 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 100% less than in Queenstown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.