Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shurugwi

For one person, living is cheaper in Shurugwi: $600 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Shurugwi
Learn more

Shurugwi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Shurugwi

🇿🇼 Zimbabwe

$600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shurugwi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $600 in Shurugwi.

Phuket $1,294
Shurugwi $600

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $986 in Shurugwi.

Phuket $2,204
Shurugwi $986

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,371 in Shurugwi.

Phuket $3,115
Shurugwi $1,371

Living in Phuket is roughly 116% more expensive than in Shurugwi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Shurugwi 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$12.57 ZWL 334

-65.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$40.97 ZWL 1,087

-21.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$5.39 ZWL 143

61.41%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$1.65 ZWL 43.83

64.85%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$0.82 ZWL 21.89

13.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$0.42 ZWL 11.20

19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$1.29 ZWL 34.14

96.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.05 ZWL 54.5

77.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.52 ZWL 40.46

14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.99 ZWL 26.32

46.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$1.62 ZWL 42.96

-7.41%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$1.95 ZWL 51.7

11.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$11.48 ZWL 305

66.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$5.47 ZWL 145

-37.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$6.64 ZWL 176

64.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$3.05 ZWL 81.0

-3.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.69 ZWL 44.90

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$2.03 ZWL 53.8

7.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$1.59 ZWL 42.20

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$1.71 ZWL 45.28

-14.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$1.52 ZWL 40.25

-9.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$1.33 ZWL 35.25

-18.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$0.96 ZWL 25.39

-42.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$1.83 ZWL 48.61

142.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$8.24 ZWL 219

121.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$1.41 ZWL 37.46

25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$1.86 ZWL 49.46

54.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$4.10 ZWL 109

-63.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.94 ZWL 51.6

-59.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$4.89 ZWL 130

-21.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.84 ZWL 48.70

-19.02%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$21.9K ZWL 580.3K

22.93%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$27.9K ZWL 741.6K

-5.71%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$52.1 ZWL 1,384

87.59%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$21.53 ZWL 571

-47.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$72.2 ZWL 1,917

-76.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$10.05 ZWL 267

-26.07%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$419 ZWL 11.1K

26.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$16.8K ZWL 445.7K

11.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$21.10 ZWL 560

192.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$20.20 ZWL 536

39.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$36.40 ZWL 966

163.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$41.15 ZWL 1,092

110.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.69

-59.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Shurugwi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Shurugwi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Shurugwi

$215 35.8% 19.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Shurugwi

$146 24.3% 15.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Shurugwi

$53 8.9% 56.4% $69

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Shurugwi

$152 25.3% 27.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Shurugwi

$20 * 3.4% 75.8% $63

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Shurugwi

$14 * 2.3% 79.1% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $41 in Shurugwi. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $215, with Shurugwi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇼 Shurugwi

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

17:54 5:54 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

16,866

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Zimbabwean Dollar ZWL $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 ZWL = 3.77 USD

100 ZWL = 3.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZWL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 26.54 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.77 USD). 1 EUR = 29.82 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.35 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Shurugwi 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shurugwi

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 Shurugwi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shurugwi is about 54% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $900 in Shurugwi 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.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $419 in Shurugwi. 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 $41 in Shurugwi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $600 in Shurugwi versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Shurugwi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shurugwi 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.