Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vanderbijlpark

For one person, living is cheaper in Vanderbijlpark: $1,026 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Vanderbijlpark
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Vanderbijlpark Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Vanderbijlpark

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,026

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vanderbijlpark

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,026 in Vanderbijlpark.

Phuket $1,294
Vanderbijlpark $1,026

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,594 in Vanderbijlpark.

Phuket $2,204
Vanderbijlpark $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,162 in Vanderbijlpark.

Phuket $3,115
Vanderbijlpark $2,162

Living in Phuket is roughly 26% more expensive than in Vanderbijlpark, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Vanderbijlpark 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$7.29 R 120

-39.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$36.89 R 607

-12.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$5.39 R 88.6

61.41%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.26 R 37.19

20.35%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.08 R 17.76

-13.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.85 R 14.06

-41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$1.77 R 29.17

42.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.43 R 40.03

49.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.15 R 18.89

51.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.14 R 18.69

27.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.74 R 28.64

-13.79%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.43 R 39.90

-10.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$6.53 R 107

192.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.14 R 68.1

-17.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$5.65 R 93.0

92.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.84 R 30.33

59.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.66 R 27.33

1.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.78 R 29.29

23.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.61 R 26.53

31.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.09 R 17.88

33.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.23 R 20.18

11.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.18 R 19.42

-8.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$1.26 R 20.80

-56.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$3.07 R 50.5

44.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$4.09 R 67.3

346.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.57 R 25.90

12.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.94 R 31.92

48.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.31 R 5.12

387.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.62 R 10.13

25.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$3.53 R 58.0

8.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.51 R 24.85

-1.32%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$35.6K R 585.3K

-24.45%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$35.1K R 577.1K

-24.91%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$151 R 2,484

-35.21%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$24.48 R 403

-53.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$36.95 R 608

-53.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$32.57 R 536

109.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$15.21 R 250

-28.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$6.15 R 101

20.81%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$119 R 1,964

344.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$1,511 R 24.9K

1142.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$46.63 R 767

32.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$32.05 R 527

-11.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$91.3 R 1,502

5.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$76.2 R 1,253

14.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$361 R 5,938

99.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$354 R 5,830

43.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$608 R 10.0K

220.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$730 R 12.0K

91.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$1,979 R 32.6K

-75.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Vanderbijlpark: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Vanderbijlpark

$354 34.6% 30.4% $154

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Vanderbijlpark

$177 17.2% 33.8% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Vanderbijlpark

$212 20.7% 68.2% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Vanderbijlpark

$111 10.8% 9.7% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Vanderbijlpark

$123 12% 2.9% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Vanderbijlpark

$45 4.4% 46.1% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Vanderbijlpark

$3.4 * 0.3% 94.9% $63

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 $361 in Vanderbijlpark. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vanderbijlpark pays about 4 times 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 $37 in Vanderbijlpark. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $177, with Vanderbijlpark cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Vanderbijlpark

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

16:16 4:16 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

95,840

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.45 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Vanderbijlpark 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vanderbijlpark

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 Vanderbijlpark: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vanderbijlpark is about 21% 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 75% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $361 in Vanderbijlpark. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $119 in Vanderbijlpark. 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 $37 in Vanderbijlpark. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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