Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uitenhage and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Uitenhage: $1,115 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Uitenhage
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Uitenhage Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Uitenhage

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,115

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,115 in Uitenhage versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Uitenhage $1,115
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,757 in Uitenhage versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Uitenhage $1,757
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,399 in Uitenhage versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Uitenhage $2,399
Phuket $2,867

Living in Uitenhage costs roughly 8% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Uitenhage 17% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 R 180

$4.58 ฿153

138.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.00 R 692

$32.48 ฿1,086

29.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 R 99.6

$8.55 ฿286

-29.24%

Cappuccino

$2.04 R 33.69

$2.72 ฿91.0

-25.00%

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

$1.01 R 16.64

$0.94 ฿31.25

7.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 R 11.66

$0.49 ฿16.39

44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 R 44.81

$2.59 ฿86.6

5.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 R 51.3

$3.83 ฿128

-18.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.28

$1.74 ฿58.1

-32.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 R 13.48

$1.43 ฿47.82

-42.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.75

$1.53 ฿51.0

-5.88%

Eggs

$2.68 R 44.11

$2.17 ฿72.7

23.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.77 R 145

$19.15 ฿640

-54.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.31 R 87.5

$3.30 ฿110

60.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 R 143

$11.14 ฿372

-21.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.95 ฿98.5

-26.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.33

$1.68 ฿56.1

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.48

$2.30 ฿76.8

-27.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.35

$2.13 ฿71.3

-16.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$1.53 ฿51.1

9.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.90

$1.36 ฿45.55

2.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.18

$1.12 ฿37.44

15.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.11

$0.55 ฿18.24

78.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 R 49.95

$4.26 ฿142

-28.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.61 R 59.6

$18.19 ฿608

-80.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.97

$1.74 ฿58.2

-27.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 R 28.95

$2.79 ฿93.3

-36.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.39

$2.22 ฿74.1

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.43

$2.91 ฿97.3

-80.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.55

$1.01 ฿33.79

-54.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.43 R 139

$3.83 ฿128

120.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.23

$1.49 ฿49.85

-5.37%

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

$35.3K R 582.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

32.49%

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

$34.0K R 559.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

27.20%

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

$122 R 2,018

$99.4 ฿3,321

23.24%

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

$34.89 R 575

$11.28 ฿377

209.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.69 R 736

$17.36 ฿580

157.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.20 R 530

$52.3 ฿1,747

-38.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.71 R 176

$10.85 ฿362

-1.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.39 R 171

$7.57 ฿253

37.25%

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

$178 R 2,927

$558 ฿18.7K

-68.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,126 R 100.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-46.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 R 1,153

$62.9 ฿2,102

11.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.59 R 619

$28.58 ฿955

31.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,797

$96.1 ฿3,213

13.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.0 R 1,598

$88.1 ฿2,943

10.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 R 6,546

$729 ฿24.4K

-45.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 R 5,935

$460 ฿15.4K

-21.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.1K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-64.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 R 12.0K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-40.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$867 R 14.3K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-74.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$647 R 10.7K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-74.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

5.57

114.36%

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

Last update for Uitenhage: 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

Uitenhage

$360 32.3%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 27.7% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uitenhage

$202 18.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 36.6% $74

Groceries & Markets

Uitenhage

$193 17.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 38.7% $75

Eating Out

Uitenhage

$157 14.1%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 22.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Uitenhage

$141 12.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 12.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Uitenhage

$53 4.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 27.2% $14

Getting Around

Uitenhage

$8.8 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 342% $30

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 $397 in Uitenhage and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42.00 in Uitenhage vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $193 vs $268, with Uitenhage cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Uitenhage

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:11 6:11 AM

11:11 11:11 AM

5 h ahead of Uitenhage

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,639

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 →

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Uitenhage Phuket 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Uitenhage
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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

Uitenhage vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Uitenhage is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,672 in Uitenhage 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: $397 in Uitenhage versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $178 in Uitenhage 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 Uitenhage – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,115 in Uitenhage versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Uitenhage but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Uitenhage the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Uitenhage 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, Uitenhage 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 Uitenhage gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.