Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset West and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,160 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,160 in Somerset West versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Somerset West $1,160
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Somerset West versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Somerset West $1,888
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,615 in Somerset West versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Somerset West $2,615
Phuket $3,154

Living in Somerset West costs roughly 9% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Somerset West 15% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 R 204

$4.47 ฿151

173.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.52 R 759

$32.41 ฿1,094

40.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 R 90.7

$8.81 ฿297

-38.25%

Cappuccino

$2.06 R 34.34

$2.83 ฿95.5

-27.21%

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

$1.06 R 17.74

$0.87 ฿29.43

21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 14.01

$0.49 ฿16.67

71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.91

$2.56 ฿86.4

0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R 54.5

$3.68 ฿124

-11.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.13

$1.66 ฿56.0

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.39

$1.46 ฿49.35

-32.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.70

$1.50 ฿50.6

38.67%

Eggs

$2.28 R 38.00

$2.09 ฿70.5

9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 R 139

$19.07 ฿644

-56.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 R 86.3

$3.30 ฿111

56.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 R 154

$10.91 ฿368

-15.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.23

$2.93 ฿99.0

-38.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.47

$1.69 ฿57.1

11.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.00

$2.25 ฿75.8

-22.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.20

$2.08 ฿70.1

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.23

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.48

$1.38 ฿46.56

10.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.42

$1.07 ฿35.99

20.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R 17.80

$0.52 ฿17.52

105.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 R 56.5

$4.20 ฿142

-19.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 R 98.1

$18.79 ฿634

-68.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.73

$1.82 ฿61.5

-25.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.17

$2.84 ฿95.9

-38.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 R 18.47

$1.45 ฿49.03

-23.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 R 1,007

$56.7 ฿1,913

6.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.81

$3.02 ฿102

-80.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.72

$1.02 ฿34.36

50.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 R 82.4

$3.69 ฿125

33.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 R 23.68

$1.47 ฿49.81

-3.40%

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

$29.3K R 487.5K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

9.27%

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

$29.4K R 489.1K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

9.98%

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

$82.1 R 1,368

$96.4 ฿3,254

-14.82%

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

$29.05 R 484

$11.26 ฿380

157.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.47 R 674

$16.85 ฿569

140.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.16 R 736

$67.2 ฿2,270

-34.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.43 R 174

$10.73 ฿362

-2.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 R 121

$7.50 ฿253

-2.93%

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

$251 R 4,175

$476 ฿16.1K

-47.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,596 R 59.9K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-68.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.99 R 516

$62.4 ฿2,106

-50.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.32 R 522

$28.41 ฿959

10.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.3 R 1,189

$94.3 ฿3,184

-24.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.3 R 939

$85.8 ฿2,898

-34.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 R 10.7K

$716 ฿24.2K

-10.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,095

$491 ฿16.6K

-13.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 R 22.3K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-30.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 R 15.6K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-34.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,221 R 20.3K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-70.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$892 R 14.9K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-70.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 R 23.6K

$502 ฿17.0K

182.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

5.57

81.69%

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

Last update for Somerset West: 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

Somerset West

$426 36.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 15.3% $65

Groceries & Markets

Somerset West

$200 17.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 33.4% $67

Eating Out

Somerset West

$166 14.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 26.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset West

$152 13.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 17.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset West

$86 7.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 42.6% $36

Getting Around

Somerset West

$73 6.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 3.5% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset West

$59 5.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 40.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $643 in Somerset West and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Somerset West pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Somerset West vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $200 vs $266, with Somerset West cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

01:00 1:00 AM

5 h ahead of Somerset West

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,166

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Somerset West Phuket 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerset West
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

Somerset West vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Somerset West is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Somerset West is about 2.8 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: $643 in Somerset West versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Somerset West versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Somerset West 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.

Safety-wise, Somerset West 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.