Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stilbaai and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,148 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

56

Cost of Living Index in Stilbaai
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Stilbaai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Stilbaai

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,148

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,148 in Stilbaai versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Stilbaai $1,148
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,832 in Stilbaai versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Stilbaai $1,832
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,516 in Stilbaai versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Stilbaai $2,516
Phuket $2,867

Living in Stilbaai costs roughly 5% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Stilbaai 15% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.91 R 196

$4.58 ฿153

160.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.22 R 761

$32.48 ฿1,086

42.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.10 R 100

$8.55 ฿286

-28.65%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.28

$2.72 ฿91.0

-12.50%

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

$1.26 R 20.84

$0.94 ฿31.25

34.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 15.77

$0.49 ฿16.39

95.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 R 48.65

$2.59 ฿86.6

13.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 R 59.1

$3.83 ฿128

-6.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 R 22.74

$1.74 ฿58.1

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.69

$1.43 ฿47.82

-11.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.30

$1.53 ฿51.0

43.79%

Eggs

$2.97 R 48.89

$2.17 ฿72.7

36.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.94 R 147

$19.15 ฿640

-53.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 R 114

$3.30 ฿110

110.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 R 158

$11.14 ฿372

-14.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 R 31.62

$2.95 ฿98.5

-34.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.00

$1.68 ฿56.1

15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.23

$2.30 ฿76.8

-28.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 R 35.11

$2.13 ฿71.3

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.57

$1.53 ฿51.1

1.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.20

$1.36 ฿45.55

8.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.04

$1.12 ฿37.44

14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.49

$0.55 ฿18.24

114.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 R 58.7

$4.26 ฿142

-16.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.97 R 98.4

$18.19 ฿608

-67.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.71

$1.74 ฿58.2

-24.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 R 35.46

$2.79 ฿93.3

-22.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.38

$2.22 ฿74.1

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.68

$2.91 ฿97.3

-79.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.16

$1.01 ฿33.79

51.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 R 83.6

$3.83 ฿128

32.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.00

$1.49 ฿49.85

2.01%

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

$35.0K R 577.0K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

31.26%

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

$31.2K R 513.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

16.70%

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

$114 R 1,883

$99.4 ฿3,321

15.01%

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

$28.76 R 474

$11.28 ฿377

154.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.29 R 647

$17.36 ฿580

126.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.60 R 521

$52.3 ฿1,747

-39.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.58 R 174

$10.85 ฿362

-2.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 145

$7.57 ฿253

16.64%

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

$267 R 4,405

$558 ฿18.7K

-52.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,885 R 113.4K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-40.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 R 928

$62.9 ฿2,102

-10.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.76 R 540

$28.58 ฿955

14.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,981

$96.1 ฿3,213

25.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,726

$88.1 ฿2,943

18.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 R 6,374

$729 ฿24.4K

-46.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 R 5,973

$460 ฿15.4K

-21.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 R 12.2K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-64.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 R 12.2K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-39.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$864 R 14.2K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-75.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$663 R 10.9K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-73.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.57

96.95%

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

Last update for Stilbaai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stilbaai

$363 31.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 26.9% $97

Groceries & Markets

Stilbaai

$226 19.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 18.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stilbaai

$182 15.9%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 29.8% $54

Eating Out

Stilbaai

$173 15.1%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 29.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Stilbaai

$141 12.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 12.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Stilbaai

$49 4.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 36.9% $18

Getting Around

Stilbaai

$14 * 1.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 175% $25

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 $387 in Stilbaai and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Stilbaai vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $268, with Stilbaai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Stilbaai

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

09:35 9:35 AM

5 h ahead of Stilbaai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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 18, 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 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Stilbaai Phuket 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Stilbaai
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

Stilbaai vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stilbaai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,722 in Stilbaai and $1,811 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: $387 in Stilbaai versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $267 in Stilbaai versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Stilbaai – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,148 in Stilbaai versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Stilbaai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Stilbaai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Stilbaai 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, Stilbaai 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 Stilbaai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.