Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Stilbaai

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,148 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Stilbaai
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Stilbaai Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Stilbaai

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Stilbaai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,148 in Stilbaai.

Phuket $1,207
Stilbaai $1,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,832 in Stilbaai.

Phuket $2,037
Stilbaai $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,516 in Stilbaai.

Phuket $2,867
Stilbaai $2,516

Living in Phuket is roughly 5% more expensive than in Stilbaai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Stilbaai 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$11.91 R 196

-61.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$46.22 R 761

-29.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$6.10 R 100

40.16%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.38 R 39.28

14.29%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.26 R 20.84

-25.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.96 R 15.77

-48.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.95 R 48.65

-12.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.58 R 59.1

6.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.38 R 22.74

26.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.26 R 20.69

13.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.20 R 36.30

-30.45%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.97 R 48.89

-26.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$8.94 R 147

114.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.94 R 114

-52.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$9.58 R 158

16.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.92 R 31.62

53.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.94 R 32.00

-13.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.65 R 27.23

39.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.13 R 35.11

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.55 R 25.57

-1.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.47 R 24.20

-7.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.28 R 21.04

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.18 R 19.49

-53.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.56 R 58.7

19.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$5.97 R 98.4

204.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.32 R 21.71

31.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.15 R 35.46

29.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.48 R 24.38

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.59 R 9.68

393.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.53 R 25.16

-33.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$5.07 R 83.6

-24.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.52 R 25.00

-1.97%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$35.0K R 577.0K

-23.82%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$31.2K R 513.6K

-14.31%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$114 R 1,883

-13.05%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$28.76 R 474

-60.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$39.29 R 647

-55.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$31.60 R 521

65.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$10.58 R 174

2.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$8.83 R 145

-14.27%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$267 R 4,405

108.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$6,885 R 113.4K

66.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$56.3 R 928

11.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$32.76 R 540

-12.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$120 R 1,981

-20.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$105 R 1,726

-15.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$387 R 6,374

88.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$363 R 5,973

26.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$739 R 12.2K

183.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$742 R 12.2K

64.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$864 R 14.2K

300.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$663 R 10.9K

275.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.97

-49.23%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Stilbaai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Stilbaai

$363 31.6% 21.2% $97

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Stilbaai

$226 19.6% 15.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Stilbaai

$182 15.9% 42.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Stilbaai

$141 12.3% 13.9% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Stilbaai

$173 15.1% 42.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Stilbaai

$49 4.3% 27% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Stilbaai

$14 * 1.2% 63.6% $25

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 $387 in Stilbaai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $46.00 in Stilbaai. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $226, with Stilbaai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Stilbaai

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

09:23 9:23 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,000

💱 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 Stilbaai 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Stilbaai

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 Stilbaai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stilbaai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,722 in Stilbaai 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: $729 in Phuket versus $387 in Stilbaai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $267 in Stilbaai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Stilbaai – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,148 in Stilbaai versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Stilbaai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Stilbaai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Stilbaai 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 Stilbaai 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 Stilbaai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.