Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,051 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
Learn more

Welkom Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Welkom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,051 in Welkom.

Phuket $1,294
Welkom $1,051

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,581 in Welkom.

Phuket $2,204
Welkom $1,581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,112 in Welkom.

Phuket $3,115
Welkom $2,112

Living in Phuket is roughly 23% more expensive than in Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Welkom 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$8.84 R 145

-50.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$20.76 R 341

55.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$5.23 R 85.9

66.35%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.29 R 37.59

18.78%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.50 R 8.21

86.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.62 R 10.22

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$1.22 R 19.99

107.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.46 R 23.97

148.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.00 R 16.45

74.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$1.01 R 16.57

43.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.40 R 23.04

7.14%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.79 R 29.30

21.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$6.48 R 106

194.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.44 R 72.8

-23.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$4.68 R 76.8

132.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$1.54 R 25.32

90.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.59 R 26.15

6.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.77 R 29.11

23.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.23 R 20.18

72.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.12 R 18.45

30.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$1.22 R 19.97

12.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.87 R 14.26

24.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$1.29 R 21.10

-57.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.37 R 38.82

86.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$2.46 R 40.42

641.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.54 R 25.19

14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.76 R 28.88

63.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$1.79 R 29.36

-18.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.31 R 5.17

387.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.82 R 13.40

-4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$14.74 R 242

-73.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.58 R 25.89

-5.70%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$35.3K R 579.6K

-23.91%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$34.0K R 558.2K

-22.56%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$153 R 2,515

-36.19%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$36.34 R 596

-68.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$36.25 R 595

-52.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$31.57 R 518

116.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$11.70 R 192

-6.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$7.37 R 121

0.81%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$256 R 4,205

106.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$6,077 R 99.7K

209.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$52.5 R 861

17.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$31.62 R 519

-10.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$92.4 R 1,516

3.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$82.7 R 1,357

4.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$392 R 6,429

84.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$364 R 5,965

39.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$726 R 11.9K

168.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$726 R 11.9K

92.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$715 R 11.7K

486.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$621 R 10.2K

431.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.34

-50.88%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Welkom

$364 34.6% 28.6% $145

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Welkom

$160 15.2% 40.1% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Welkom

$226 21.5% 78.9% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 5% $6.1

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Welkom

$127 12.1% 6.6% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Welkom

$46 4.4% 44.3% $37

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Welkom

$12 * 1.1% 82.5% $55

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 $392 in Welkom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $21 in Welkom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $160 per month, with Welkom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

08:33 8:33 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

64,130

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Welkom 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Welkom is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,577 in Welkom 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 $392 in Welkom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $256 in Welkom. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Welkom – a meal for two runs $21 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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