Cost of Living Comparison Between Timaru and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Timaru and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Timaru is 61.8% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 59.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Timaru is 34.6% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 25.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Timaru
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.17 NZ$25.95
$4.65 ฿149
226.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.8 NZ$136
$46.11 ฿1,474
72.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.85 NZ$16.85
$8.74 ฿279
12.70%
Cappuccino
$3.39 NZ$5.80
$3.04 ฿97.1
11.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 NZ$3.73
$0.72 ฿23.03
202.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 NZ$3.19
$0.39 ฿12.50
379.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.89 NZ$10.08
$2.44 ฿78.0
141.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.85 NZ$10.01
$3.79 ฿121
54.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Timaru
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.61 NZ$2.75
$2.14 ฿68.6
-24.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.96 NZ$3.35
$1.86 ฿59.5
5.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.18 NZ$2.01
$2.19 ฿69.9
-46.12%
Eggs
$6.33 NZ$10.82
$2.25 ฿71.8
181.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.67 NZ$16.54
$19.73 ฿631
-50.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.76 NZ$18.40
$3.79 ฿121
183.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.95 NZ$28.99
$13.55 ฿433
25.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 NZ$4.53
$3.25 ฿104
-18.46%
Banana (1kg)
$2.57 NZ$4.40
$1.67 ฿53.4
53.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.97 NZ$5.08
$2.39 ฿76.5
24.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.90 NZ$10.09
$2.09 ฿66.9
182.30%
Potato (1kg)
$2.59 NZ$4.43
$1.53 ฿48.88
69.28%
Onion (1kg)
$2.39 NZ$4.08
$1.51 ฿48.27
58.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.84 NZ$4.86
$0.99 ฿31.62
186.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 NZ$1.95
$0.51 ฿16.46
123.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$28.48 NZ$48.71
$4.27 ฿137
566.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.27 NZ$12.43
$20.31 ฿649
-64.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.61 NZ$7.89
$1.79 ฿57.3
157.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.05 NZ$12.05
$2.77 ฿88.5
154.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Timaru
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.07 NZ$3.54
$1.40 ฿44.89
47.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.9 NZ$111
$11.70 ฿374
454.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.88 NZ$4.93
$3.11 ฿99.4
-7.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 NZ$1.87
$0.99 ฿31.80
10.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.23 NZ$55.1
$13.73 ฿439
134.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.63 NZ$2.79
$1.32 ฿42.17
23.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.2K NZ$50.0K
$27.2K ฿870.7K
7.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.8K NZ$30.4K
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-47.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Timaru
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$193 NZ$330
$120 ฿3,849
60.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.71 NZ$40.54
$13.93 ฿445
70.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.3 NZ$99.6
$18.31 ฿585
218.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Timaru
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.92 NZ$63.1
$60.9 ฿1,948
-39.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.24 NZ$20.93
$17.23 ฿551
-28.96%
Cinema Ticket
$13.04 NZ$22.30
$8.71 ฿278
49.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Timaru
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$501 NZ$858
$698 ฿22.3K
-28.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,129 NZ$12.2K
$15.7K ฿503.0K
-54.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Timaru
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.2 NZ$147
$57.6 ฿1,843
49.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.05 NZ$83.9
$34.24 ฿1,095
43.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.8 NZ$162
$113 ฿3,618
-16.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$281 NZ$481
$84.8 ฿2,711
231.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Timaru
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 NZ$1,674
$604 ฿19.3K
62.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$783 NZ$1,338
$436 ฿13.9K
79.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,543 NZ$2,638
$2,057 ฿65.8K
-25.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,433 NZ$2,450
$1,498 ฿47.9K
-4.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,134 NZ$8,779
$4,252 ฿135.9K
20.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,424 NZ$5,855
$2,988 ฿95.5K
14.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Timaru
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$529 ฿16.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.74
5.33
26.45%

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

Last update for Timaru: February 28, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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