Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Windhoek

For one person, living is cheaper in Windhoek: $1,182 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Windhoek, Namibia
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Windhoek
🇳🇦 Namibia
$1,182
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Windhoek

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,182 in Windhoek.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Windhoek $1,182

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,028 in Windhoek.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Windhoek $2,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,875 in Windhoek.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Windhoek $2,875

Living in Phuket is roughly 8% more expensive than in Windhoek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Windhoek 13% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Windhoek
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$11.47 NAD 191
-61.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$64.4 NAD 1,073
-49.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$6.05 NAD 101
45.62%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$2.28 NAD 37.99
24.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$0.86 NAD 14.38
1.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$0.92 NAD 15.38
-46.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$1.92 NAD 32.05
33.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.09 NAD 34.79
76.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Windhoek
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.57 NAD 26.23
5.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$0.88 NAD 14.69
65.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$1.96 NAD 32.59
-23.47%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$3.14 NAD 52.3
-33.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$9.44 NAD 157
102.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$6.87 NAD 115
-51.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$7.66 NAD 128
42.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$2.14 NAD 35.71
36.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$1.98 NAD 32.97
-14.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.79 NAD 29.80
25.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$1.99 NAD 33.10
4.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.94 NAD 32.30
-22.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$1.80 NAD 29.93
-23.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$1.96 NAD 32.69
-45.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$1.07 NAD 17.76
-51.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$3.35 NAD 55.8
25.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$6.48 NAD 108
189.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.43 NAD 23.85
27.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.38 NAD 23.07
105.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Windhoek
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$0.80 NAD 13.26
81.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$48.86 NAD 814
15.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$0.75 NAD 12.55
302.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$0.94 NAD 15.68
8.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$15.38 NAD 256
-76.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$1.40 NAD 23.31
5.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$24.6K NAD 409.1K
9.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$31.7K NAD 527.8K
-15.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Windhoek
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$138 NAD 2,307
-30.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$26.65 NAD 444
-57.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$49.49 NAD 825
-65.95%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Windhoek
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$36.77 NAD 613
82.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$10.40 NAD 173
3.17%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$5.29 NAD 88.1
41.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Windhoek
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$210 NAD 3,507
126.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$5,340 NAD 89.0K
110.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Windhoek
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$54.2 NAD 903
15.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$34.80 NAD 580
-18.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$88.4 NAD 1,473
6.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$94.4 NAD 1,573
-9.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Windhoek
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$502 NAD 8,362
42.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$358 NAD 5,970
37.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$1,456 NAD 24.3K
32.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$974 NAD 16.2K
46.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$1,617 NAD 26.9K
158.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$608 NAD 10.1K
400.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Windhoek
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$997 NAD 16.6K
-49.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
11.42
-51.23%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Windhoek: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Windhoek
$358 27% $133
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Windhoek
$223 16.2% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Windhoek
$215 72.4% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Windhoek
$122 0.3% $0.4
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Windhoek
$158 30% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Windhoek
$47 42.4% $35
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Windhoek
$58 18.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $502 in Windhoek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Windhoek pays 98% 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 $64 in Windhoek. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $223, with Windhoek cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇳🇦 Windhoek
🕒 Local time
04:06 4:06 AM
23:06 11:06 PM
5 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
322,500 Capital
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

NAD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Namibian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 NAD (100 NAD = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 NAD (100 NAD = 5.39 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Windhoek 9,460 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Windhoek

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 Windhoek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Windhoek cheaper than Phuket?
Windhoek is about 8% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Windhoek?
On paper, salaries run 50% 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Windhoek?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $502 in Windhoek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $210 in Windhoek. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Windhoek?
Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Phuket or in Windhoek?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Windhoek is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Windhoek?
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.

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