Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Shepstone and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Shepstone: $1,058 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Port Shepstone
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Port Shepstone Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Shepstone 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 Port Shepstone and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,058 in Port Shepstone versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Port Shepstone $1,058
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,592 in Port Shepstone versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Port Shepstone $1,592
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,126 in Port Shepstone versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Port Shepstone $2,126
Phuket $2,845

Living in Port Shepstone costs roughly 12% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Port Shepstone 22% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.68 R 127

$4.40 ฿147

74.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.93 R 641

$32.26 ฿1,078

20.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 R 99.8

$8.76 ฿293

-30.82%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R 44.89

$2.83 ฿94.5

-3.89%

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

$1.11 R 18.28

$0.90 ฿30.14

23.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 13.98

$0.47 ฿15.56

80.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 R 40.54

$2.55 ฿85.2

-3.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 R 42.96

$3.83 ฿128

-31.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 R 14.70

$1.73 ฿57.7

-48.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 R 11.74

$1.47 ฿49.11

-51.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 R 19.80

$1.51 ฿50.6

-20.53%

Eggs

$1.50 R 24.68

$2.17 ฿72.7

-30.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 R 118

$19.70 ฿658

-63.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 R 59.8

$3.34 ฿112

8.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.22 R 119

$11.16 ฿373

-35.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 R 19.63

$2.85 ฿95.1

-58.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 R 11.85

$1.70 ฿56.9

-57.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 R 10.27

$2.19 ฿73.3

-71.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.49

$2.05 ฿68.4

-24.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 R 9.83

$1.45 ฿48.57

-58.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.11

$1.38 ฿46.16

5.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R 15.18

$1.07 ฿35.69

-14.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 R 9.64

$0.51 ฿16.91

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 R 61.5

$4.26 ฿142

-12.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.0

$18.58 ฿621

-74.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.39

$1.78 ฿59.7

-16.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.05

$2.85 ฿95.2

-31.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 R 28.37

$2.26 ฿75.6

-23.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$3.01 ฿101

-86.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.42

$1.06 ฿35.34

-29.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 R 129

$3.86 ฿129

102.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.86

$1.45 ฿48.45

-8.28%

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

$34.9K R 575.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

32.56%

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

$33.1K R 544.9K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

22.76%

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

$123 R 2,025

$96.4 ฿3,221

27.55%

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

$18.38 R 303

$11.04 ฿369

66.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.21 R 613

$17.14 ฿573

117.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 R 526

$52.2 ฿1,744

-38.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.48 R 156

$11.16 ฿373

-15.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R 124

$7.81 ฿261

-3.97%

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

$314 R 5,180

$556 ฿18.6K

-43.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,567 R 124.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-34.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 R 889

$64.2 ฿2,146

-15.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.29 R 499

$28.69 ฿959

5.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,653

$95.4 ฿3,187

5.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,389

$88.0 ฿2,940

-4.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,013

$737 ฿24.6K

-42.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R 6,887

$462 ฿15.5K

-9.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 R 10.5K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-69.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 R 12.0K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-39.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$927 R 15.3K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-73.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$775 R 12.8K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-69.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,033 R 50.0K

$501 ฿16.7K

505.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

5.57

111.49%

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

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Shepstone

$418 39.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 10.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Shepstone

$179 16.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 30.2% $54

Groceries & Markets

Port Shepstone

$145 13.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 85.6% $124

Eating Out

Port Shepstone

$138 13%

Phuket

$121 10% 11.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Port Shepstone

$121 11.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 2.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Port Shepstone

$47 4.4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 44.5% $21

Getting Around

Port Shepstone

$11 * 1.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 256% $28

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 $426 in Port Shepstone and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Shepstone pays 506% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39.00 in Port Shepstone vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $145 vs $269, with Port Shepstone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

19:53 7:53 PM

5 h ahead of Port Shepstone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,793

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 20, 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 20, 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

Port Shepstone Phuket 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Shepstone
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

Port Shepstone vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Shepstone is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 506% higher in Port Shepstone, 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: $426 in Port Shepstone versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $314 in Port Shepstone versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Port Shepstone – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,058 in Port Shepstone versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Port Shepstone but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Port Shepstone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Port Shepstone 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, Port Shepstone 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 Port Shepstone gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.