Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Scottburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Scottburgh: $1,105 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Scottburgh
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Scottburgh Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Scottburgh

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Scottburgh

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,105 in Scottburgh.

Phuket $1,294
Scottburgh $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,736 in Scottburgh.

Phuket $2,204
Scottburgh $1,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,368 in Scottburgh.

Phuket $3,115
Scottburgh $2,368

Living in Phuket is roughly 17% more expensive than in Scottburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Scottburgh 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$8.66 R 144

-49.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$36.96 R 613

-12.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.09 R 101

42.86%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.59 R 43.05

5.02%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$1.10 R 18.28

-15.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.82 R 13.53

-39.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.35 R 38.98

7.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.34 R 38.83

55.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.24 R 20.50

40.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.96 R 15.91

51.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.49 R 24.70

0.67%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.29 R 37.98

-5.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$8.04 R 133

137.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$5.21 R 86.5

-34.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$7.26 R 120

50.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.97 R 32.71

49.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.86 R 30.92

-9.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.94 R 32.24

12.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.60 R 26.61

32.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.51 R 25.03

-3.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.37 R 22.69

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$1.16 R 19.20

-6.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$1.18 R 19.62

-53.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.54 R 58.7

25.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$4.87 R 80.8

274.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.50 R 24.84

18.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.02 R 33.51

42.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.88 R 31.26

-22.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.44 R 7.24

243.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.71 R 11.73

9.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.73 R 128

-50.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.50 R 24.85

-0.67%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$35.9K R 596.4K

-25.23%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$34.1K R 565.6K

-22.73%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$149 R 2,473

-34.38%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$38.28 R 635

-70.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$39.10 R 649

-56.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$30.86 R 512

121.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$13.26 R 220

-17.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.54 R 125

-1.46%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$311 R 5,166

70.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$7,387 R 122.6K

154.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$52.5 R 871

17.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$27.25 R 452

3.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$95.5 R 1,584

0.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$83.8 R 1,391

3.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$361 R 5,996

99.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$368 R 6,113

38.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$821 R 13.6K

137.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$792 R 13.1K

76.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$759 R 12.6K

452.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$715 R 11.9K

361.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.7

-52.39%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Scottburgh: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Scottburgh

$368 33.4% 27.6% $140

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Scottburgh

$193 17.5% 27.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Scottburgh

$226 20.5% 79.3% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Scottburgh

$117 10.6% 5% $6.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Scottburgh

$143 12.9% 19.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Scottburgh

$46 4.2% 44.8% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Scottburgh

$12 * 1% 82.6% $55

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 $721 in Phuket and $361 in Scottburgh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $37 in Scottburgh. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $193, with Scottburgh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Scottburgh

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

13:29 1:29 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

23,949

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Scottburgh 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Scottburgh

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 Scottburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scottburgh is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,657 in Scottburgh 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: $721 in Phuket versus $361 in Scottburgh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $311 in Scottburgh. 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 $37 in Scottburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Scottburgh gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.