Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Upper Hutt Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Upper Hutt

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,880 in Upper Hutt.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $2,957 in Upper Hutt.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $4,035 in Upper Hutt.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 34% less than in Upper Hutt, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 8% below, Upper Hutt is 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$17.15 NZ$29.33

-73.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$85.8 NZ$147

-45.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$9.84 NZ$16.82

-10.16%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$3.60 NZ$6.15

-16.67%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$2.34 NZ$4.00

-68.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$2.17 NZ$3.72

-82.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$7.19 NZ$12.30

-66.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$6.49 NZ$11.10

-44.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.76 NZ$3.01

28.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$2.07 NZ$3.54

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$1.91 NZ$3.27

17.28%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$6.25 NZ$10.68

-62.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$8.31 NZ$14.20

136.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$9.35 NZ$15.98

-60.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$12.17 NZ$20.81

7.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.54 NZ$4.34

33.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.82 NZ$3.11

-9.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$2.55 NZ$4.37

-5.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$3.39 NZ$5.80

-40.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$2.10 NZ$3.59

-25.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.63 NZ$2.78

-7.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$2.15 NZ$3.68

-52.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$1.24 NZ$2.12

-60.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$20.06 NZ$34.30

-77.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$10.71 NZ$18.31

76.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$2.45 NZ$4.19

-27.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.68 NZ$4.58

2.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$2.07 NZ$3.54

-32.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$65.2 NZ$112

-82.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$2.66 NZ$4.55

17.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$1.86 NZ$3.18

-46.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$47.96 NZ$82.0

-70.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.74 NZ$2.97

-22.41%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$27.0K NZ$46.1K

0.79%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$23.4K NZ$40.0K

40.83%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$157 NZ$269

-20.55%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$32.61 NZ$55.8

-58.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$47.99 NZ$82.1

-61.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$37.36 NZ$63.9

64.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$12.14 NZ$20.76

38.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$8.99 NZ$15.37

2.22%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$731 NZ$1,250

-4.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$12.9K NZ$22.0K

20.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$73.4 NZ$126

-21.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$52.6 NZ$89.9

-32.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$106 NZ$180

7.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$127 NZ$217

-31.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$978 NZ$1,673

-37.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$780 NZ$1,334

-42.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$1,578 NZ$2,698

29.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$1,437 NZ$2,458

3.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$4,238 NZ$7,247

-10.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$3,228 NZ$5,519

-17.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

6.69

-20.33%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Upper Hutt: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $978 in Upper Hutt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $86.0 in Upper Hutt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $302 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 Upper Hutt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $2,820 in Upper Hutt 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: $616 in Phuket versus $978 in Upper Hutt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $731 in Upper Hutt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Upper Hutt. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,880 in Upper Hutt, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Upper Hutt. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Upper Hutt, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Upper Hutt 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Upper Hutt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.