Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scottburgh and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Scottburgh: $1,105 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Scottburgh
Learn more

Scottburgh Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Scottburgh

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in Scottburgh versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Scottburgh $1,105
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,736 in Scottburgh versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Scottburgh $1,736
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,368 in Scottburgh versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Scottburgh $2,368
Phuket $3,115

Living in Scottburgh costs roughly 15% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Scottburgh 18% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 R 144

$4.39 ฿148

97.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.96 R 613

$32.31 ฿1,090

14.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.09 R 101

$8.70 ฿294

-30.00%

Cappuccino

$2.59 R 43.05

$2.72 ฿91.9

-4.78%

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

$1.10 R 18.28

$0.93 ฿31.38

18.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 R 13.53

$0.50 ฿16.85

64.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 R 38.98

$2.53 ฿85.4

-7.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 R 38.83

$3.63 ฿122

-35.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 R 20.50

$1.74 ฿58.7

-28.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 R 15.91

$1.45 ฿48.93

-33.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.70

$1.50 ฿50.7

-0.67%

Eggs

$2.29 R 37.98

$2.17 ฿73.3

5.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.04 R 133

$19.09 ฿644

-57.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.21 R 86.5

$3.40 ฿115

53.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 R 120

$10.90 ฿368

-33.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 R 32.71

$2.94 ฿99.2

-32.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.92

$1.69 ฿57.1

10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.24

$2.19 ฿74.0

-11.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.61

$2.12 ฿71.6

-24.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.03

$1.46 ฿49.19

3.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.69

$1.37 ฿46.14

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R 19.20

$1.08 ฿36.29

7.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.62

$0.55 ฿18.40

114.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.54 R 58.7

$4.43 ฿149

-20.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 R 80.8

$18.25 ฿616

-73.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.84

$1.77 ฿59.8

-15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 R 33.51

$2.88 ฿97.2

-29.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 R 31.26

$1.45 ฿48.82

29.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 R 7.24

$1.51 ฿51.0

-70.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.73

$0.78 ฿26.17

-8.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.73 R 128

$3.84 ฿129

101.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.85

$1.49 ฿50.2

0.67%

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

$35.9K R 596.4K

$26.9K ฿906.7K

33.74%

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

$34.1K R 565.6K

$26.3K ฿888.6K

29.41%

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

$149 R 2,473

$97.8 ฿3,299

52.40%

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

$38.28 R 635

$11.29 ฿381

239.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.10 R 649

$17.19 ฿580

127.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.86 R 512

$68.3 ฿2,305

-54.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 R 220

$10.92 ฿368

21.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 R 125

$7.43 ฿251

1.48%

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

$311 R 5,166

$530 ฿17.9K

-41.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,387 R 122.6K

$18.8K ฿633.5K

-60.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 R 871

$61.7 ฿2,080

-14.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.25 R 452

$28.25 ฿953

-3.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 R 1,584

$96.0 ฿3,238

-0.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 R 1,391

$86.8 ฿2,928

-3.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 R 5,996

$721 ฿24.3K

-49.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 R 6,113

$509 ฿17.2K

-27.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 R 13.6K

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-57.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$792 R 13.1K

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-43.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$759 R 12.6K

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-81.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$715 R 11.9K

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-78.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

5.57

110.05%

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

Last update for Scottburgh: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scottburgh

$368 33.4%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 38.1% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scottburgh

$226 20.5%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 44.2% $100

Groceries & Markets

Scottburgh

$193 17.5%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 38.1% $74

Eating Out

Scottburgh

$143 12.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 16.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Scottburgh

$117 10.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 5.3% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Scottburgh

$46 4.2%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 81.1% $37

Getting Around

Scottburgh

$12 * 1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 474% $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 $361 in Scottburgh and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Scottburgh vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $193 vs $267, with Scottburgh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Scottburgh

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

5 h ahead of Scottburgh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,949

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Scottburgh Phuket 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Scottburgh
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

Scottburgh vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Scottburgh is about 15% 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 $1,657 in Scottburgh and $1,940 in Phuket 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: $361 in Scottburgh versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $311 in Scottburgh versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $37 in Scottburgh. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Scottburgh gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.