Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Uitenhage

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Uitenhage: $1,208 and $1,167 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Uitenhage
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Uitenhage Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Uitenhage

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Uitenhage

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,167 in Uitenhage.

Phuket $1,208
Uitenhage $1,167

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,832 in Uitenhage.

Phuket $2,027
Uitenhage $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,497 in Uitenhage.

Phuket $2,845
Uitenhage $2,497

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$10.99 R 181

-59.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$43.28 R 713

-25.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.88 R 96.9

48.98%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.17 R 35.83

30.41%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.06 R 17.38

-15.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.73 R 12.00

-35.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.68 R 44.15

-4.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.25 R 53.5

17.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.17 R 19.29

47.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.81 R 13.36

81.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.52 R 25.02

-0.66%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.84 R 46.76

-23.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$8.91 R 147

121.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.35 R 88.2

-37.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.73 R 144

27.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.20 R 36.29

29.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.51 R 24.85

12.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.69 R 27.80

29.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.82 R 29.92

12.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.77 R 29.08

-18.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.45 R 23.94

-4.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.30 R 21.50

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.02 R 16.84

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.12 R 51.4

36.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$3.68 R 60.6

404.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.28 R 21.16

39.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.82 R 29.97

56.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.51 R 24.95

49.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.60 R 9.82

401.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.51 R 8.41

107.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$8.68 R 143

-55.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.49 R 24.50

-2.68%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$35.6K R 587.1K

-26.12%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$35.0K R 577.1K

-23.08%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$125 R 2,066

-23.14%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$35.55 R 586

-68.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$45.37 R 747

-62.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$30.09 R 496

73.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$12.05 R 199

-7.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$10.55 R 174

-25.97%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$179 R 2,955

209.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,248 R 102.9K

85.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$72.6 R 1,196

-11.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$38.39 R 632

-25.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$114 R 1,873

-16.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$96.2 R 1,584

-8.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$443 R 7,304

66.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$401 R 6,606

15.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$646 R 10.6K

224.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$798 R 13.1K

50.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$897 R 14.8K

288.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$740 R 12.2K

240.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Uitenhage: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Uitenhage

$401 34.4% 13.3% $61

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Uitenhage

$196 16.8% 27.1% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Uitenhage

$206 17.7% 65.6% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Uitenhage

$144 12.4% 16.1% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Uitenhage

$159 13.6% 30.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Uitenhage

$51 4.4% 24.5% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Uitenhage

$9.2 * 0.8% 76.6% $30

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 $737 in Phuket and $443 in Uitenhage. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $43.00 in Uitenhage. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $196, with Uitenhage cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Uitenhage

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

15:19 3:19 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

103,639

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Between locations

Phuket Uitenhage 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Uitenhage

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 Uitenhage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,750 in Uitenhage 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: $737 in Phuket versus $443 in Uitenhage. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $179 in Uitenhage. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Uitenhage – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,167 in Uitenhage versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Uitenhage but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Uitenhage the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Uitenhage 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 Uitenhage 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 Uitenhage 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.