Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Timaru Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Timaru

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Phuket is 33.2% cheaper than Timaru without rent, and 39.5% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Phuket is 36.1% cheaper than Timaru without rent, and 22.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Timaru
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.68 ΰΈΏ151
$14.94 NZ$24.64
-68.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.4 ΰΈΏ1,502
$79.5 NZ$131
-41.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.65 ΰΈΏ280
$9.72 NZ$16.04
-11.01%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ΰΈΏ100
$3.51 NZ$5.79
-11.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ΰΈΏ23.53
$2.17 NZ$3.59
-66.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ΰΈΏ11.95
$1.89 NZ$3.11
-80.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 ΰΈΏ77.4
$5.92 NZ$9.77
-59.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 ΰΈΏ117
$6.21 NZ$10.24
-41.71%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Timaru
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 ΰΈΏ72.5
$1.63 NZ$2.69
37.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.8 ΰΈΏ58.2
$1.99 NZ$3.28
-9.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 ΰΈΏ72.3
$1.2 NZ$1.97
86.67%
Eggs
$2.23 ΰΈΏ72.1
$6.43 NZ$10.6
-65.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.31 ΰΈΏ625
$9.86 NZ$16.26
95.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.77 ΰΈΏ122
$10.69 NZ$17.64
-64.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.05 ΰΈΏ422
$16.6 NZ$27.39
-21.39%
Apples (1kg)
$3.28 ΰΈΏ106
$2.65 NZ$4.37
23.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 ΰΈΏ52.6
$2.52 NZ$4.16
-35.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.4 ΰΈΏ77.7
$3.04 NZ$5.01
-21.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ΰΈΏ64.3
$5.86 NZ$9.66
-66.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ΰΈΏ49.62
$2.67 NZ$4.4
-42.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 ΰΈΏ48.11
$2.38 NZ$3.93
-37.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ΰΈΏ32.87
$2.92 NZ$4.82
-65.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ΰΈΏ15.61
$1.16 NZ$1.91
-58.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 ΰΈΏ140
$29 NZ$47.83
-85.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.68 ΰΈΏ702
$7.28 NZ$12.01
197.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ΰΈΏ57.3
$4.84 NZ$7.98
-63.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ΰΈΏ90.4
$6.79 NZ$11.2
-58.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Timaru
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 ΰΈΏ43.74
$2.14 NZ$3.53
-36.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ΰΈΏ380
$63.5 NZ$105
-81.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 ΰΈΏ102
$2.9 NZ$4.78
8.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1 ΰΈΏ32.3
$1.09 NZ$1.8
-8.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.64 ΰΈΏ442
$31.85 NZ$52.5
-57.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 ΰΈΏ42.2
$1.59 NZ$2.63
-18.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ΰΈΏ885.2K
$30.1K NZ$49.6K
-9.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K ΰΈΏ1.1M
$18.2K NZ$30.1K
85.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Timaru
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 ΰΈΏ3,970
$192 NZ$316
-36.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ΰΈΏ451
$23.72 NZ$39.12
-41.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.24 ΰΈΏ590
$60.5 NZ$99.7
-69.83%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Timaru
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.8 ΰΈΏ1,966
$36.92 NZ$60.9
64.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.11 ΰΈΏ554
$12.27 NZ$20.23
39.45%
Cinema Ticket
$9.07 ΰΈΏ294
$13.36 NZ$22.03
-32.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Timaru
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$694 ΰΈΏ22.5K
$485 NZ$800
43.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ΰΈΏ514.4K
$7,159 NZ$11.8K
122.02%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Timaru
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 ΰΈΏ1,861
$88.3 NZ$146
-34.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.51 ΰΈΏ1,117
$49.39 NZ$81.5
-30.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 ΰΈΏ3,727
$96.2 NZ$159
19.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ΰΈΏ2,743
$276 NZ$455
-69.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Timaru
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ΰΈΏ19.8K
$988 NZ$1,630
-38.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$442 ΰΈΏ14.3K
$790 NZ$1,303
-44.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 ΰΈΏ65.2K
$1,598 NZ$2,635
26.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,460 ΰΈΏ47.2K
$1,431 NZ$2,360
2.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,244 ΰΈΏ137.3K
$4,243 NZ$6,998
0.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,886 ΰΈΏ93.4K
$3,354 NZ$5,532
-13.95%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Timaru
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$697 ΰΈΏ22.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
6.74
-20.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

Last update for Timaru: October 28, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.