Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and St Francis Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $979 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
49

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $979 in St Francis Bay.

Phuket $1,294
St Francis Bay $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,629 in St Francis Bay.

Phuket $2,204
St Francis Bay $1,629

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,279 in St Francis Bay.

Phuket $3,115
St Francis Bay $2,279

Living in Phuket is roughly 32% more expensive than in St Francis Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, St Francis Bay 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$10.81 R 177

-59.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$41.74 R 685

-22.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$3.53 R 58.0

146.46%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.14 R 35.06

27.10%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.01 R 16.62

-7.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.72 R 11.89

-30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.06 R 33.72

22.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.84 R 30.24

97.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$0.94 R 15.43

85.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$1.00 R 16.33

45.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.50 R 24.64

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.70 R 44.32

-19.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$7.11 R 117

168.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.22 R 85.7

-34.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$8.63 R 142

26.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$2.18 R 35.71

34.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.46 R 23.93

15.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.70 R 27.96

28.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.81 R 29.62

17.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.74 R 28.48

-16.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$1.37 R 22.56

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$1.24 R 20.29

-12.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$1.03 R 16.84

-46.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.14 R 51.5

41.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$4.74 R 77.7

285.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.27 R 20.84

39.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.81 R 29.72

59.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$1.78 R 29.16

-18.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.82 R 13.44

84.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.46 R 7.51

69.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$8.62 R 141

-55.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.31 R 21.44

13.74%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$21.0K R 344.6K

27.98%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$35.2K R 577.0K

-25.08%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$60.8 R 997

61.00%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$34.39 R 564

-67.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$41.35 R 679

-58.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$28.64 R 470

138.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$12.00 R 197

-9.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$9.20 R 151

-19.24%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$179 R 2,934

196.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$6,135 R 100.7K

206.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$71.9 R 1,179

-14.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$39.31 R 645

-28.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$112 R 1,842

-14.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$95.1 R 1,560

-8.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$420 R 6,891

71.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$308 R 5,056

65.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$834 R 13.7K

133.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$711 R 11.7K

96.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$784 R 12.9K

434.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$648 R 10.6K

409.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.94

-53.35%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for St Francis Bay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

St Francis Bay

$308 31.5% 39.4% $201

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

St Francis Bay

$190 19.4% 28.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

St Francis Bay

$136 14% 8.1% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

St Francis Bay

$143 14.7% 16.8% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

St Francis Bay

$144 14.7% 20.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

St Francis Bay

$47 4.8% 43.4% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

St Francis Bay

$10 * 1% 84.5% $56

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 $420 in St Francis Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $42 in St Francis Bay. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $190, with St Francis Bay cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

10:51 10:51 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,910

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket St Francis Bay 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St Francis Bay is about 24% 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 $1,468 in St Francis Bay 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 $420 in St Francis Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $179 in St Francis Bay. 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 $42 in St Francis Bay. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in St Francis Bay versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in St Francis Bay but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes St Francis Bay 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and St Francis Bay are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.