Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thames and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,966 in Thames, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Thames
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Thames Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Thames

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,966

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,966 in Thames versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Thames $1,966
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,999 in Thames versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Thames $2,999
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,032 in Thames versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Thames $4,032
Phuket $2,867

Living in Thames is roughly 63% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Thames is 46% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 NZ$24.63

$4.58 ฿153

204.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 NZ$121

$32.48 ฿1,086

110.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.89 NZ$15.72

$8.55 ฿286

3.98%

Cappuccino

$3.42 NZ$6.06

$2.72 ฿91.0

25.74%

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

$2.02 NZ$3.57

$0.94 ฿31.25

114.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 NZ$3.08

$0.49 ฿16.39

255.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 NZ$12.16

$2.59 ฿86.6

165.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 NZ$11.90

$3.83 ฿128

75.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.74 ฿58.1

7.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 NZ$3.93

$1.43 ฿47.82

55.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 NZ$3.16

$1.53 ฿51.0

16.99%

Eggs

$6.20 NZ$10.97

$2.17 ฿72.7

185.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 NZ$15.55

$19.15 ฿640

-54.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 NZ$17.11

$3.30 ฿110

193.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.82 NZ$29.74

$11.14 ฿372

50.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 NZ$4.95

$2.95 ฿98.5

-5.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 NZ$3.82

$1.68 ฿56.1

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 NZ$5.14

$2.30 ฿76.8

26.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 NZ$10.17

$2.13 ฿71.3

169.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 NZ$3.77

$1.53 ฿51.1

39.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 NZ$2.69

$1.36 ฿45.55

11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 NZ$3.50

$1.12 ฿37.44

76.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 NZ$1.84

$0.55 ฿18.24

89.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.57 NZ$46.99

$4.26 ฿142

523.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.25 NZ$18.12

$18.19 ฿608

-43.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 NZ$5.02

$1.74 ฿58.2

63.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 NZ$5.98

$2.79 ฿93.3

21.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 NZ$2.56

$2.22 ฿74.1

-34.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 NZ$133

$22.06 ฿737

241.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 NZ$4.06

$2.91 ฿97.3

-20.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 NZ$3.40

$1.01 ฿33.79

90.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.20 NZ$56.9

$3.83 ฿128

740.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 NZ$3.31

$1.49 ฿49.85

25.50%

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

$25.1K NZ$44.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-5.74%

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

$21.7K NZ$38.4K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-18.79%

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

$183 NZ$324

$99.4 ฿3,321

84.64%

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

$26.20 NZ$46.33

$11.28 ฿377

132.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 NZ$89.6

$17.36 ฿580

191.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.84 NZ$74.0

$52.3 ฿1,747

-19.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 NZ$23.17

$7.57 ฿253

73.05%

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

$1,135 NZ$2,007

$558 ฿18.7K

103.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K NZ$34.0K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

67.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 NZ$140

$62.9 ฿2,102

25.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.93 NZ$70.6

$28.58 ฿955

39.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 NZ$163

$96.1 ฿3,213

-4.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 NZ$197

$88.1 ฿2,943

26.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 NZ$1,645

$729 ฿24.4K

27.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 NZ$1,451

$460 ฿15.4K

78.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,484 NZ$2,624

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-29.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,486 NZ$2,629

$1,222 ฿40.8K

21.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,552 NZ$8,050

$3,459 ฿115.6K

31.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,773 NZ$6,673

$2,489 ฿83.2K

51.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

5.57

-3.59%

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

Last update for Thames: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thames

$821 41.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 43.9% $361

Groceries & Markets

Thames

$337 17.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 20.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thames

$260 13.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 50.8% $132

Eating Out

Thames

$242 12.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 49.9% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Thames

$145 7.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 14.6% $21

Getting Around

Thames

$93 4.7%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 58.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Thames

$68 3.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 0.9% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $930 in Thames and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Thames vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇿 Thames

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

15:18 3:18 PM

6 h behind Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

79,308

💱 Currency

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NZD – New Zealand Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar ($)

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NZD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Thames Phuket 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Thames
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

Thames vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 63% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,949 in Thames 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: $930 in Thames versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,135 in Thames versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Thames. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,966 in Thames, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Thames. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Thames, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Thames 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Thames. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.