Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Secunda and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,062 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,062

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,062 in Secunda versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Secunda $1,062
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,635 in Secunda versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Secunda $1,635
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,208 in Secunda versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Secunda $2,208
Phuket $3,154

Living in Secunda costs roughly 17% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Secunda 22% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.04 R 101

$4.47 ฿151

35.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.91 R 516

$32.41 ฿1,093

-4.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.22 R 87.3

$8.81 ฿297

-40.75%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R 38.53

$2.83 ฿95.4

-18.37%

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

$0.87 R 14.47

$0.87 ฿29.41

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 R 8.48

$0.49 ฿16.65

4.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 R 18.00

$2.56 ฿86.3

-57.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.86

$3.68 ฿124

-64.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.63

$1.66 ฿55.9

-29.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 R 14.57

$1.46 ฿49.31

-40.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 R 31.05

$1.50 ฿50.5

24.00%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.54

$2.09 ฿70.5

16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 R 138

$19.07 ฿643

-56.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R 84.7

$3.30 ฿111

53.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.18 R 120

$10.91 ฿368

-34.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 R 30.14

$2.93 ฿98.9

-38.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.99

$1.69 ฿57.0

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.95

$2.25 ฿75.8

-20.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.49

$2.08 ฿70.0

-20.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R 18.35

$1.51 ฿51.0

-27.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.48

$1.38 ฿46.52

-10.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.68

$1.07 ฿35.96

15.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R 22.53

$0.52 ฿17.51

159.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.21 R 53.6

$4.20 ฿142

-23.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.01 R 83.7

$18.79 ฿634

-73.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 R 26.71

$1.82 ฿61.5

-12.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 R 33.01

$2.84 ฿95.8

-30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 25.08

$1.45 ฿48.98

3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.81

$3.02 ฿102

-90.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 R 12.93

$1.02 ฿34.33

-24.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.85 R 248

$3.69 ฿125

302.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.90

$1.47 ฿49.76

5.44%

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

$36.1K R 603.8K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

34.96%

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

$35.1K R 586.1K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

31.42%

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

$156 R 2,604

$96.4 ฿3,251

61.77%

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

$37.44 R 625

$11.26 ฿380

232.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.72 R 614

$16.85 ฿568

117.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.86 R 532

$67.2 ฿2,268

-52.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$10.73 ฿362

0.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.19 R 120

$7.50 ฿253

-4.13%

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

$90.1 R 1,505

$476 ฿16.1K

-81.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,501 R 91.9K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-51.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 R 900

$62.4 ฿2,104

-13.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.55 R 544

$28.41 ฿958

14.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 R 1,546

$94.3 ฿3,181

-1.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 R 1,385

$85.8 ฿2,895

-3.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 R 6,711

$716 ฿24.2K

-43.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 R 6,014

$491 ฿16.6K

-26.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 R 12.2K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-62.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.4K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-48.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.5K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-79.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$698 R 11.7K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-77.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,444 R 24.1K

$502 ฿16.9K

187.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

5.57

103.59%

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

Last update for Secunda: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Secunda

$360 33.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 36.4% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Secunda

$230 21.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 45.9% $106

Groceries & Markets

Secunda

$193 18.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 38.3% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Secunda

$118 11.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 3.4% $4

Eating Out

Secunda

$105 9.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Secunda

$46 4.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 77.9% $36

Getting Around

Secunda

$10 * 1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 595% $60

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 $402 in Secunda and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Secunda pays about 2.9 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31 in Secunda vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $266 per month, with Secunda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Secunda

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

22:03 10:03 PM

5 h ahead of Secunda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,198

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Secunda Phuket 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Secunda
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

Secunda vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Secunda is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Secunda is about 2.9 times higher, 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: $402 in Secunda versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $90 in Secunda versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Secunda – a meal for two runs $31 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Secunda 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.