Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Whanganui

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,000 in Whanganui, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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 Whanganui
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Whanganui Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Whanganui

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$2,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Whanganui

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,000 in Whanganui.

Phuket $1,278
Whanganui $2,000

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,910 in Whanganui.

Phuket $2,216
Whanganui $2,910

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,820 in Whanganui.

Phuket $3,154
Whanganui $3,820

Living in Phuket costs roughly 36% less than in Whanganui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Whanganui is 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.42 NZ$22.04

-64.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$73.0 NZ$130

-55.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.38 NZ$14.89

5.13%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.36 NZ$5.97

-15.77%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.21 NZ$3.93

-60.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.04 NZ$3.63

-75.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.48 NZ$9.73

-53.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.48 NZ$9.73

-32.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.34 NZ$2.37

23.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.01 NZ$1.79

44.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.16 NZ$2.05

29.31%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.54 NZ$9.84

-62.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.64 NZ$10.02

238.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.49 NZ$13.30

-55.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.96 NZ$21.23

-8.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.21 NZ$3.93

32.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.98 NZ$3.51

-14.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.89 NZ$3.35

19.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.51 NZ$6.23

-40.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.70 NZ$3.03

-11.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.32 NZ$2.34

4.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.27 NZ$4.02

-52.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.52 NZ$0.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$23.29 NZ$41.35

-81.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.56 NZ$16.97

96.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.60 NZ$4.61

-30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.23 NZ$3.96

27.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.96 NZ$3.48

-26.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$109 NZ$193

-47.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.59 NZ$6.38

-15.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.04 NZ$3.62

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$31.45 NZ$55.8

-88.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.62 NZ$2.87

-9.26%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$28.2K NZ$50.0K

-4.93%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$22.7K NZ$40.3K

17.49%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$197 NZ$351

-51.21%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$32.21 NZ$57.2

-65.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$47.07 NZ$83.6

-64.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$39.46 NZ$70.1

70.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.66 NZ$10.05

32.51%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$686 NZ$1,218

-30.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$23.1K NZ$41.1K

-51.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$61.3 NZ$109

1.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$38.61 NZ$68.6

-26.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$93.4 NZ$166

0.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$106 NZ$188

-19.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,030 NZ$1,828

-30.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$939 NZ$1,668

-47.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,657 NZ$2,941

16.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,465 NZ$2,602

-2.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,694 NZ$8,334

-11.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,967 NZ$5,267

2.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.8

-18.09%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Whanganui: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Whanganui

$939 47% 91.3% $448

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Whanganui

$248 12.4% 6.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Whanganui

$277 13.8% 122% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Whanganui

$135 6.7% 10.5% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Whanganui

$220 11% 80.9% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Whanganui

$51 2.5% 38.2% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Whanganui

$130 6.5% 84.4% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,030 in Whanganui. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $73 in Whanganui. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $248, with Whanganui cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Whanganui

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

09:18 9:18 AM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

42,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 NZD = 0.563 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.563 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Whanganui 9,450 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Whanganui

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 Whanganui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,000 in Whanganui 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: $716 in Phuket versus $1,030 in Whanganui. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $686 in Whanganui. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Whanganui pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,000 in Whanganui, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Whanganui. 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 Whanganui are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.