Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Upington

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,111 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Upington

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,111 in Upington.

Phuket $1,278
Upington $1,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,731 in Upington.

Phuket $2,216
Upington $1,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,350 in Upington.

Phuket $3,154
Upington $2,350

Living in Phuket is roughly 15% more expensive than in Upington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Upington 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.13 R 202

-63.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$35.62 R 594

-9.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.83 R 97.2

51.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.75 R 29.17

61.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.02 R 17.06

-14.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.77 R 12.87

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.70 R 28.38

50.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.76 R 45.95

33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.93 R 15.45

78.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.22 R 20.27

19.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.61 R 26.83

-6.83%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.22 R 36.95

-5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.31 R 138

129.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.40 R 89.9

-38.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.17 R 136

33.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.06 R 34.27

42.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.49 R 24.76

13.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.64 R 27.37

37.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.76 R 29.31

18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.34 R 22.33

12.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.39 R 23.11

-0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.11 R 18.43

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.22 R 20.33

-57.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.76 R 46.01

52.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$3.73 R 62.1

403.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.54 R 25.67

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.09 R 34.77

35.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.46 R 24.31

-0.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.64 R 10.64

371.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.79 R 13.16

29.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$11.30 R 188

-67.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.45 R 24.20

1.38%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$40.3K R 671.8K

-33.58%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$34.8K R 579.4K

-23.24%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$148 R 2,472

-35.06%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$39.28 R 655

-71.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$37.62 R 627

-55.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$28.10 R 468

139.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$11.70 R 195

-8.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.00 R 133

-6.25%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$103 R 1,709

363.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$5,540 R 92.3K

103.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$55.8 R 929

11.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$32.07 R 534

-11.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$104 R 1,736

-9.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$84.3 R 1,405

1.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$389 R 6,474

84.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$358 R 5,958

37.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$613 R 10.2K

214.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$736 R 12.3K

94.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$917 R 15.3K

355.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$739 R 12.3K

311.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$781 R 13.0K

-35.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.38

-51.05%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Upington: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Upington

$358 32.2% 27.2% $133

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Upington

$193 17.4% 27.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Upington

$225 20.3% 81% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Upington

$124 11.2% 2% $2.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Upington

$157 14.1% 28.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Upington

$44 4% 46.4% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Upington

$10 * 0.9% 85.2% $60

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 $716 in Phuket and $389 in Upington. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Upington pays 55% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $36 in Upington. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $193, with Upington cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Upington

🕒 Local time

05:54 5:54 AM

00:54 12:54 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

74,834

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Upington 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Upington

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 Upington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Upington is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $389 in Upington. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $103 in Upington. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $36 in Upington. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Upington 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.