Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sun City

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Sun City: $1,294 and $1,275 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
Learn more

Sun City Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sun City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,275 in Sun City.

Phuket $1,294
Sun City $1,275

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,947 in Sun City.

Phuket $2,204
Sun City $1,947

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,618 in Sun City.

Phuket $3,115
Sun City $2,618

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Sun City; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Sun City 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$12.15 R 199

-63.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$44.31 R 727

-27.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.16 R 117

21.51%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.41 R 39.54

12.86%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.27 R 20.78

-26.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.91 R 14.98

-45.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$2.47 R 40.59

2.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.79 R 45.77

30.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.34 R 22.04

29.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$1.25 R 20.44

16.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.71 R 27.99

-12.28%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.73 R 44.84

-20.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$8.62 R 141

121.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.50 R 90.3

-38.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$8.89 R 146

22.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$2.08 R 34.19

41.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.92 R 31.48

-11.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.81 R 29.77

20.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$2.08 R 34.13

1.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.62 R 26.65

-9.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$1.76 R 28.93

-22.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$1.44 R 23.59

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$1.29 R 21.22

-57.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.52 R 57.8

25.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$5.93 R 97.3

207.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.87 R 30.69

-5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$2.27 R 37.31

26.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$1.84 R 30.16

-21.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.81 R 13.27

86.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.92 R 15.10

-15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$14.35 R 236

-73.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.57 R 25.74

-5.10%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$35.6K R 583.7K

-24.44%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$34.0K R 558.5K

-22.61%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$226 R 3,714

-56.79%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$39.15 R 642

-71.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$38.06 R 625

-54.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$28.91 R 474

136.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$10.07 R 165

8.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$8.60 R 141

-13.60%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$242 R 3,967

119.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$7,651 R 125.5K

145.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$59.9 R 983

2.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$44.98 R 738

-37.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$113 R 1,859

-15.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$112 R 1,844

-22.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$370 R 6,075

94.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$371 R 6,086

37.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$646 R 10.6K

201.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$731 R 12.0K

91.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$705 R 11.6K

494.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$737 R 12.1K

347.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.91

-48.95%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sun City: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Sun City

$371 29.1% 27.1% $138

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Sun City

$219 17.2% 18.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Sun City

$304 23.8% 140% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Sun City

$149 11.7% 21.2% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sun City

$174 13.7% 45.8% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Sun City

$46 3.6% 44.6% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Sun City

$13 * 1% 80.7% $53

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 $370 in Sun City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $44 in Sun City. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $219, with Sun City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Sun City

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

02:25 2:25 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,556

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sun City 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sun City

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 Sun City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,913 in Sun City 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 $370 in Sun City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $44 in Sun City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $242 in Sun City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Sun City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Sun City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.