Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Waihi

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,994 in Waihi, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Waihi
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Waihi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Waihi

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,994

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Waihi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,994 in Waihi.

Phuket $1,294
Waihi $1,994

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,968 in Waihi.

Phuket $2,204
Waihi $2,968

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,942 in Waihi.

Phuket $3,115
Waihi $3,942

Living in Phuket costs roughly 35% less than in Waihi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Waihi is 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$14.42 NZ$25.60

-69.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$68.5 NZ$122

-52.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$9.19 NZ$16.32

-5.33%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$3.27 NZ$5.80

-16.82%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.03 NZ$3.60

-54.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$1.79 NZ$3.18

-72.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$6.29 NZ$11.17

-59.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$6.08 NZ$10.79

-40.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.84 NZ$3.27

-5.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.93 NZ$3.42

-24.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$1.77 NZ$3.14

-15.25%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$5.68 NZ$10.08

-61.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$8.21 NZ$14.58

132.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$9.42 NZ$16.73

-63.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$14.58 NZ$25.88

-25.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$2.67 NZ$4.74

10.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$2.27 NZ$4.03

-25.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$2.97 NZ$5.27

-26.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$5.42 NZ$9.62

-60.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$2.06 NZ$3.66

-29.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$1.53 NZ$2.72

-10.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$2.23 NZ$3.96

-51.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$1.07 NZ$1.90

-48.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$24.55 NZ$43.59

-81.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$9.18 NZ$16.29

98.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$3.07 NZ$5.44

-42.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$3.29 NZ$5.84

-12.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.00 NZ$3.56

-27.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$102 NZ$182

-46.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$2.33 NZ$4.14

-35.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.89 NZ$3.36

-58.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$29.93 NZ$53.1

-87.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.72 NZ$3.06

-13.37%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$27.9K NZ$49.6K

-3.81%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$22.7K NZ$40.2K

16.26%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$110 NZ$195

-10.80%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$28.31 NZ$50.3

-60.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$51.2 NZ$90.9

-66.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$39.15 NZ$69.5

74.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$11.52 NZ$20.45

-35.50%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$674 NZ$1,197

-21.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$17.2K NZ$30.4K

9.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$62.5 NZ$111

-1.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$35.17 NZ$62.4

-19.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$92.2 NZ$164

4.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$112 NZ$199

-22.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$1,045 NZ$1,855

-31.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$924 NZ$1,640

-44.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$1,659 NZ$2,945

17.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$1,481 NZ$2,630

-5.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$4,895 NZ$8,691

-14.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$3,359 NZ$5,963

-1.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.83

-4.46%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Waihi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Waihi

$924 46.3% 81.5% $415

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Waihi

$320 16.1% 20% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Waihi

$189 9.5% 49.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Waihi

$136 6.8% 10.7% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Waihi

$241 12.1% 102% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Waihi

$62 3.1% 25.2% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Waihi

$122 6.1% 84.7% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,045 in Waihi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $68 in Waihi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $320 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Waihi

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

17:39 5:39 PM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,700

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.502 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.502 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Waihi 9,450 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Waihi

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 Waihi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $2,991 in Waihi 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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,045 in Waihi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $674 in Waihi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Waihi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,994 in Waihi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Waihi. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Waihi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Waihi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.