Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stellenbosch and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Stellenbosch and in Phuket: $1,174 and $1,208 a month, rent and utilities included.

57

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,174

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,174 in Stellenbosch versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Stellenbosch $1,174
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,947 in Stellenbosch versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Stellenbosch $1,947
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Stellenbosch versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Stellenbosch $2,721
Phuket $2,845

Living in Stellenbosch costs roughly 3% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Stellenbosch 13% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.50 R 124

$4.40 ฿147

70.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.96 R 609

$32.26 ฿1,078

14.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 R 81.9

$8.76 ฿293

-43.26%

Cappuccino

$2.13 R 35.16

$2.83 ฿94.5

-24.73%

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

$1.00 R 16.45

$0.90 ฿30.14

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R 12.06

$0.47 ฿15.56

55.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 R 43.84

$2.55 ฿85.2

4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 R 52.2

$3.83 ฿128

-17.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.30

$1.73 ฿57.7

-21.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 R 19.00

$1.47 ฿49.11

-21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.63

$1.51 ฿50.6

19.21%

Eggs

$2.85 R 47.01

$2.17 ฿72.7

31.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.75 R 144

$19.70 ฿658

-55.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.94 R 97.9

$3.34 ฿112

77.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 R 124

$11.16 ฿373

-32.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.90

$2.85 ฿95.1

-38.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.42

$1.70 ฿56.9

-12.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.56

$2.19 ฿73.3

-21.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.45

$2.05 ฿68.4

-24.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.86

$1.45 ฿48.57

-25.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.77

$1.38 ฿46.16

13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 R 22.37

$1.07 ฿35.69

27.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.54

$0.51 ฿16.91

133.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 R 61.8

$4.26 ฿142

-11.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.13 R 101

$18.58 ฿621

-67.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R 22.30

$1.78 ฿59.7

-24.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 R 35.56

$2.85 ฿95.2

-24.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.87

$3.01 ฿101

-80.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 R 24.55

$1.06 ฿35.34

40.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 R 84.4

$3.86 ฿129

32.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 R 22.79

$1.45 ฿48.45

-4.83%

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

$35.5K R 585.4K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

34.95%

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

$34.0K R 560.3K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

26.22%

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

$103 R 1,701

$96.4 ฿3,221

7.12%

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

$29.34 R 483

$11.04 ฿369

165.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.40 R 567

$17.14 ฿573

100.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.41 R 485

$52.2 ฿1,744

-43.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.07 R 281

$11.16 ฿373

52.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 R 144

$7.81 ฿261

11.91%

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

$266 R 4,381

$556 ฿18.6K

-52.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,413 R 39.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-79.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.4 R 864

$64.2 ฿2,146

-18.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.86 R 476

$28.69 ฿959

0.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,982

$95.4 ฿3,187

26.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 R 1,476

$88.0 ฿2,940

1.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 R 11.2K

$737 ฿24.6K

-8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 R 8,078

$462 ฿15.5K

6.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 R 24.3K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-29.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 R 19.7K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-0.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,583 R 42.6K

$501 ฿16.7K

415.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.7

5.57

92.10%

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

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stellenbosch

$490 41.8%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 5.7% $28

Groceries & Markets

Stellenbosch

$204 17.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 31.8% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stellenbosch

$167 14.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 25.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Stellenbosch

$131 11.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 5.1% $6.7

Eating Out

Stellenbosch

$127 10.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 4.6% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Stellenbosch

$47 4%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 44.6% $21

Getting Around

Stellenbosch

$8.1 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 390% $31

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 $677 in Stellenbosch and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stellenbosch pays 416% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37.00 in Stellenbosch vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $204 vs $269, with Stellenbosch cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

5 h ahead of Stellenbosch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,068

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

Stellenbosch Phuket 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Stellenbosch
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

Stellenbosch vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stellenbosch is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 416% higher in Stellenbosch, 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: $677 in Stellenbosch versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $266 in Stellenbosch 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 Stellenbosch – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,174 in Stellenbosch versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Stellenbosch but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Stellenbosch the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Stellenbosch 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, Stellenbosch 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 Stellenbosch gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.