Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Stellenbosch

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Stellenbosch: $1,207 and $1,165 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,165

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Stellenbosch

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,165 in Stellenbosch.

Phuket $1,207
Stellenbosch $1,165

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,913 in Stellenbosch.

Phuket $2,037
Stellenbosch $1,913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,660 in Stellenbosch.

Phuket $2,867
Stellenbosch $2,660

Living in Phuket is roughly 4% more expensive than in Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Stellenbosch 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$7.29 R 120

-37.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$35.82 R 590

-9.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.72 R 77.8

81.14%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.05 R 33.74

32.68%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.00 R 16.52

-6.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.77 R 12.67

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.70 R 44.51

-4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.08 R 50.7

24.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.34 R 22.16

29.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.14 R 18.85

25.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.86 R 30.68

-17.74%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.84 R 46.86

-23.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$8.62 R 142

122.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$5.80 R 95.6

-43.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$7.51 R 124

48.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.74 R 28.67

69.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.47 R 24.14

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.69 R 27.78

36.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.59 R 26.17

33.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.09 R 17.89

40.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.53 R 25.17

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.30 R 21.50

-13.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.17 R 19.36

-52.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.52 R 58.1

21.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$6.17 R 102

194.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.33 R 21.93

30.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.18 R 35.91

27.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.61 R 10.10

377.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.55 R 25.56

-34.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$5.02 R 82.7

-23.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.40 R 23.05

6.43%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$35.0K R 577.2K

-23.84%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$31.0K R 510.9K

-13.86%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$103 R 1,691

-3.18%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$28.53 R 470

-60.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$34.28 R 565

-49.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$29.25 R 482

78.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$16.81 R 277

-35.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$8.89 R 146

-14.85%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$264 R 4,351

111.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$2,389 R 39.4K

380.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$52.1 R 858

20.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$28.72 R 473

-0.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$118 R 1,951

-18.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$90.2 R 1,486

-2.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$698 R 11.5K

4.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$488 R 8,038

-5.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,443 R 23.8K

45.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,155 R 19.0K

5.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$2,556 R 42.1K

-80.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.7

-47.94%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Stellenbosch

$488 41.9% 6.1% $28

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Stellenbosch

$202 17.4% 24.4% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Stellenbosch

$165 14.2% 29.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Stellenbosch

$130 11.2% 5% $6.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Stellenbosch

$124 10.6% 2.1% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Stellenbosch

$47 4% 30.2% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Stellenbosch

$8.4 * 0.7% 78.5% $31

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 $729 in Phuket and $698 in Stellenbosch. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stellenbosch pays 418% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $36.00 in Stellenbosch. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $202, with Stellenbosch cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

19,068

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Stellenbosch 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Stellenbosch

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 Stellenbosch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stellenbosch is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 418% lower in Stellenbosch. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $698 in Stellenbosch. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $264 in Stellenbosch. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Stellenbosch – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,165 in Stellenbosch versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Stellenbosch but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Stellenbosch the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Stellenbosch is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Stellenbosch are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Stellenbosch gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.