Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $959 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Polokwane and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Polokwane and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $959 in Polokwane versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Polokwane $959
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,417 in Polokwane versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Polokwane $1,417
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,875 in Polokwane versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Polokwane $1,875
Phuket $2,867

Living in Polokwane costs roughly 21% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Polokwane 29% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.24 R 202

$4.58 ฿153

167.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 R 489

$32.48 ฿1,086

-8.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 R 123

$8.55 ฿286

-12.75%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.26

$2.72 ฿91.0

-12.50%

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

$0.77 R 12.68

$0.94 ฿31.25

-18.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.47

$0.49 ฿16.39

79.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 R 27.65

$2.59 ฿86.6

-35.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.95

$3.83 ฿128

-50.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.71

$1.74 ฿58.1

-24.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.82

$1.43 ฿47.82

-24.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.03

$1.53 ฿51.0

11.11%

Eggs

$2.65 R 43.69

$2.17 ฿72.7

22.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 R 129

$19.15 ฿640

-59.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 R 75.6

$3.30 ฿110

39.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.04 R 99.6

$11.14 ฿372

-45.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 R 33.19

$2.95 ฿98.5

-31.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.53

$1.68 ฿56.1

10.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.80

$2.30 ฿76.8

-21.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.30

$2.13 ฿71.3

-7.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.49

$1.53 ฿51.1

9.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.73

$1.36 ฿45.55

10.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.48

$1.12 ฿37.44

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R 13.46

$0.55 ฿18.24

49.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 R 44.22

$4.26 ฿142

-37.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 R 80.2

$18.19 ฿608

-73.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.88

$1.74 ฿58.2

-33.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R 26.54

$2.79 ฿93.3

-42.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R 15.22

$2.22 ฿74.1

-58.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.03 R 495

$22.06 ฿737

36.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 R 14.41

$2.91 ฿97.3

-70.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.66

$1.01 ฿33.79

-5.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.36 R 237

$3.83 ฿128

274.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.52

$1.49 ฿49.85

-4.03%

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

$26.1K R 430.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-2.15%

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

$28.5K R 469.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

6.57%

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

$138 R 2,281

$99.4 ฿3,321

39.34%

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

$38.10 R 628

$11.28 ฿377

237.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.99 R 544

$17.36 ฿580

90.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.29 R 384

$52.3 ฿1,747

-55.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 R 132

$7.57 ฿253

5.68%

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

$179 R 2,946

$558 ฿18.7K

-67.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,452 R 23.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-87.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.30 R 746

$62.9 ฿2,102

-27.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.73 R 622

$28.58 ฿955

32.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 R 1,328

$96.1 ฿3,213

-16.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 R 1,544

$88.1 ฿2,943

6.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,785

$729 ฿24.4K

-60.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 R 3,338

$460 ฿15.4K

-55.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,922

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-79.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 R 4,683

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-76.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,343 R 22.1K

$493 ฿16.5K

172.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

5.57

95.87%

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

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polokwane

$210 21.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 38.9% $82

Accommodation & Living

Polokwane

$203 21.1%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 127% $257

Groceries & Markets

Polokwane

$185 19.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 44.5% $82

Eating Out

Polokwane

$168 17.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 27.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Polokwane

$116 12.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 7.1% $8.2

Getting Around

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 1.2% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 71.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $290 in Polokwane and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Polokwane pays 172% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Polokwane vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $268 per month, with Polokwane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

00:12 12:12 AM

5 h ahead of Polokwane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,999

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Polokwane Phuket 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Polokwane
Phuket

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

Polokwane vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polokwane is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 172% higher in Polokwane, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $290 in Polokwane versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $179 in Polokwane versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $959 in Polokwane versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Polokwane but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Polokwane the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Polokwane is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Polokwane and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Polokwane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.