Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Welkom and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,051 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,051

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,051 in Welkom versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Welkom $1,051
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,581 in Welkom versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Welkom $1,581
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Welkom versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Welkom $2,112
Phuket $3,115

Living in Welkom costs roughly 19% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Welkom 22% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.84 R 145

$4.39 ฿147

101.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.76 R 341

$32.31 ฿1,085

-35.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.23 R 85.9

$8.70 ฿292

-39.89%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.59

$2.72 ฿91.5

-15.81%

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

$0.50 R 8.21

$0.93 ฿31.25

-46.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R 10.22

$0.50 ฿16.78

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 R 19.99

$2.53 ฿85.0

-51.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 R 23.97

$3.63 ฿122

-59.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R 16.45

$1.74 ฿58.4

-42.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.57

$1.45 ฿48.73

-30.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.04

$1.50 ฿50.5

-6.67%

Eggs

$1.79 R 29.30

$2.17 ฿73.0

-17.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.48 R 106

$19.09 ฿641

-66.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 R 72.8

$3.40 ฿114

30.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.68 R 76.8

$10.90 ฿366

-57.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.32

$2.94 ฿98.8

-47.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.15

$1.69 ฿56.8

-5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.11

$2.19 ฿73.7

-19.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.18

$2.12 ฿71.4

-41.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.45

$1.46 ฿48.99

-23.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 19.97

$1.37 ฿45.95

-10.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 R 14.26

$1.08 ฿36.14

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.10

$0.55 ฿18.32

134.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 R 38.82

$4.43 ฿149

-46.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.46 R 40.42

$18.25 ฿613

-86.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.19

$1.77 ฿59.5

-12.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 R 28.88

$2.88 ฿96.8

-38.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.36

$1.45 ฿48.62

23.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.17

$1.51 ฿50.8

-79.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 R 13.40

$0.78 ฿26.06

5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.74 R 242

$3.84 ฿129

283.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 25.89

$1.49 ฿49.96

6.04%

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

$35.3K R 579.6K

$26.9K ฿902.9K

31.42%

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

$34.0K R 558.2K

$26.3K ฿884.9K

29.14%

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

$153 R 2,515

$97.8 ฿3,285

56.72%

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

$36.34 R 596

$11.29 ฿379

221.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.25 R 595

$17.19 ฿577

110.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.57 R 518

$68.3 ฿2,295

-53.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.70 R 192

$10.92 ฿367

7.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 R 121

$7.43 ฿250

-0.81%

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

$256 R 4,205

$530 ฿17.8K

-51.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,077 R 99.7K

$18.8K ฿630.9K

-67.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 R 861

$61.7 ฿2,072

-14.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.62 R 519

$28.25 ฿949

11.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 R 1,516

$96.0 ฿3,225

-3.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.7 R 1,357

$86.8 ฿2,916

-4.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 R 6,429

$721 ฿24.2K

-45.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 R 5,965

$509 ฿17.1K

-28.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$726 R 11.9K

$1,950 ฿65.5K

-62.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$726 R 11.9K

$1,397 ฿46.9K

-48.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$715 R 11.7K

$4,192 ฿140.8K

-82.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$621 R 10.2K

$3,298 ฿110.8K

-81.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

5.57

103.59%

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

Last update for Welkom: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Welkom

$364 34.6%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 40% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Welkom

$226 21.5%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 44.1% $100

Groceries & Markets

Welkom

$160 15.2%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 66.9% $107

Eating Out

Welkom

$127 12.1%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 6.2% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Welkom

$117 11.1%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 5.2% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Welkom

$46 4.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 79.6% $37

Getting Around

Welkom

$12 * 1.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 472% $55

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 $392 in Welkom and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21 in Welkom vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $160 vs $267 per month, with Welkom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Welkom

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

13:19 1:19 PM

5 h ahead of Welkom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,130

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Welkom Phuket 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Welkom
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

Welkom vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Welkom is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,577 in Welkom and $1,940 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: $392 in Welkom versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $256 in Welkom versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Welkom – a meal for two runs $21 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Welkom is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.