Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rustenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $797 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
Learn more

Rustenburg Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rustenburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $797 in Rustenburg.

Phuket $1,278
Rustenburg $797

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,316 in Rustenburg.

Phuket $2,216
Rustenburg $1,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,834 in Rustenburg.

Phuket $3,154
Rustenburg $1,834

Living in Phuket is roughly 60% more expensive than in Rustenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Rustenburg 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.87 R 81.3

-8.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$45.11 R 754

-28.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.22 R 104

41.64%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.66 R 27.75

70.48%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.02 R 17.03

-14.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.50 R 8.38

-2.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.48 R 24.77

72.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.13 R 35.57

72.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.03 R 17.19

61.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.90 R 15.00

62.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.70 R 28.40

-11.76%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.61 R 43.60

-19.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.57 R 127

151.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.04 R 84.3

-34.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.28 R 105

73.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.78 R 29.73

64.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.57 R 26.20

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.80 R 30.00

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.07 R 17.94

94.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.31 R 21.94

15.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.08 R 18.12

27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.34 R 22.34

-20.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.86 R 14.34

-39.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.07 R 51.2

36.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.02 R 101

212.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.59 R 9.80

208.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$0.92 R 15.34

208.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.81 R 13.60

272.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.89 R 14.86

14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$14.27 R 238

-74.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.45 R 24.16

1.38%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$31.6K R 527.3K

-15.15%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$31.7K R 529.2K

-15.73%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$76.1 R 1,271

26.68%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.47 R 225

-16.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$37.07 R 619

-54.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$38.12 R 637

76.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.11 R 102

75.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.90 R 81.9

53.06%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$110 R 1,842

331.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$5,453 R 91.1K

106.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$41.73 R 697

49.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$44.31 R 740

-35.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$112 R 1,863

-15.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$53.3 R 890

61.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$336 R 5,614

113.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$237 R 3,955

107.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$716 R 12.0K

169.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$515 R 8,609

177.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,065 R 17.8K

-52.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.9

-43.74%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rustenburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Rustenburg

$237 29.7% 51.8% $254

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Rustenburg

$173 21.7% 35.1% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Rustenburg

$127 15.9% 1.7% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rustenburg

$113 14.2% 7.4% $9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rustenburg

$95 12% 21.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Rustenburg

$48 6% 41.7% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Rustenburg

$5.3 * 0.7% 92.5% $65

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 $716 in Phuket and $336 in Rustenburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rustenburg pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $45 in Rustenburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $173, with Rustenburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

07:59 7:59 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

549,575

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Rustenburg 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rustenburg

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 Rustenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rustenburg is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $336 in Rustenburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $110 in Rustenburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $45 in Rustenburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $797 in Rustenburg versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rustenburg but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rustenburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.