Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Richards Bay Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Richards Bay

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 27.5% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 20.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 45.5% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 54.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Richards Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.59 ฿147
$7.78 R 127
-41.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.83 ฿1,497
$28.10 R 458
66.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿278
$5.00 R 81.6
74.00%
Cappuccino
$2.92 ฿93.5
$1.99 R 32.42
46.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 ฿21.86
$0.92 R 15.03
-26.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ฿12.66
$0.71 R 11.62
-43.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.51 ฿80.2
$1.41 R 23.06
78.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 ฿122
$1.66 R 27.09
128.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Richards Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ฿69.1
$0.96 R 15.64
125.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.88 ฿60.1
$0.93 R 15.12
102.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.16 ฿69.0
$1.47 R 23.94
46.94%
Eggs
$2.22 ฿71.0
$2.17 R 35.40
2.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.57 ฿626
$7.49 R 122
161.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.80 ฿122
$4.45 R 72.5
-14.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.41 ฿429
$5.54 R 90.2
142.06%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 ฿104
$1.52 R 24.76
114.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.5
$1.42 R 23.19
13.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 ฿73.8
$1.37 R 22.34
68.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 ฿65.8
$1.29 R 21.07
59.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.3
$1.14 R 18.50
41.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.44 ฿46.13
$1.04 R 17.03
38.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 ฿32.91
$0.98 R 15.94
5.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿15.34
$0.96 R 15.64
-50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.50 ฿144
$2.40 R 39.10
87.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.18 ฿613
$4.99 R 81.4
284.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿58.3
$1.45 R 23.64
25.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 ฿86.0
$1.75 R 28.57
53.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Richards Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.38 ฿44.04
$1.68 R 27.37
-17.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ฿376
$94.9 R 1,547
-87.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿99.3
$1.70 R 27.68
82.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.00 ฿32.09
$0.61 R 10.02
63.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.74 ฿439
$6.68 R 109
105.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 ฿41.49
$1.28 R 20.82
1.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ฿874.5K
$19.8K R 322.6K
38.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.0K ฿1.1M
$24.3K R 396.1K
35.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Richards Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$125 ฿3,993
$130 R 2,122
-4.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.74 ฿439
$29.20 R 476
-52.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.61 ฿595
$34.07 R 555
-45.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Richards Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.6 ฿1,936
$32.12 R 524
88.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.15 ฿548
$4.59 R 74.8
273.64%
Cinema Ticket
$9.01 ฿288
$6.58 R 107
36.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Richards Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.3K
$92.5 R 1,507
654.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K ฿515.1K
$2,448 R 39.9K
558.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Richards Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.2 ฿1,893
$42.71 R 696
38.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.86 ฿1,115
$18.78 R 306
85.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ฿3,651
$86.3 R 1,407
32.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,743
$72.0 R 1,174
19.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Richards Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$619 ฿19.8K
$385 R 6,282
60.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$437 ฿14.0K
$289 R 4,704
51.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,075 ฿66.3K
$828 R 13.5K
150.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,509 ฿48.2K
$596 R 9,715
153.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,764 ฿120.3K
$772 R 12.6K
387.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,694 ฿86.1K
$614 R 10.0K
338.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Richards Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$528 ฿16.9K
$1,105 R 18.0K
-52.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
12.01
-55.62%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: 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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