Cost of Living Comparison Between Windhoek and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Windhoek and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,245 in Windhoek versus $1,277 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,066 in Windhoek versus $2,108 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,886 in Windhoek versus $2,940 in Phuket.

Living in Windhoek costs roughly 2% less than in Phuket, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities sit below the global median: Windhoek 8% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 NAD 188

$4.62 ฿153

151.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.9 NAD 855

$34.40 ฿1,138

53.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 NAD 95.4

$8.56 ฿283

-31.07%

Cappuccino

$2.33 NAD 37.60

$2.97 ฿98.4

-21.55%

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

$0.87 NAD 13.98

$0.82 ฿27.09

6.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 NAD 15.41

$0.44 ฿14.54

115.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 NAD 29.52

$2.46 ฿81.3

-25.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 NAD 32.03

$3.78 ฿125

-47.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 NAD 25.26

$1.86 ฿61.7

-16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 NAD 15.95

$1.47 ฿48.63

-32.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 NAD 35.09

$1.56 ฿51.5

39.10%

Eggs

$3.16 NAD 51.0

$2.20 ฿72.6

43.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.75 NAD 158

$19.59 ฿648

-50.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.88 NAD 111

$3.50 ฿116

96.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 NAD 124

$11.23 ฿372

-31.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 NAD 37.54

$2.93 ฿97.1

-20.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 NAD 31.77

$1.72 ฿56.9

14.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 NAD 31.27

$2.27 ฿75.1

-14.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 NAD 36.40

$2.12 ฿70.1

6.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 NAD 34.75

$1.54 ฿50.8

39.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 NAD 29.89

$1.40 ฿46.23

32.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 NAD 32.40

$1.10 ฿36.35

81.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 NAD 19.54

$0.57 ฿18.87

112.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 NAD 53.4

$4.47 ฿148

-26.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 NAD 118

$18.89 ฿625

-61.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 NAD 23.23

$1.88 ฿62.2

-23.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 NAD 23.49

$2.84 ฿94.0

-48.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 NAD 12.72

$2.33 ฿77.3

-66.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.97 NAD 792

$23.38 ฿773

109.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 NAD 12.46

$2.94 ฿97.4

-73.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 NAD 15.71

$1.03 ฿34.15

-5.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.22 NAD 262

$3.78 ฿125

329.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 NAD 22.78

$1.45 ฿47.95

-2.76%

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

$24.8K NAD 400.9K

$26.8K ฿888.2K

-7.60%

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

$29.4K NAD 474.6K

$27.4K ฿905.8K

7.27%

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

$142 NAD 2,291

$105 ฿3,476

34.88%

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

$27.98 NAD 452

$11.01 ฿364

154.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.61 NAD 786

$17.81 ฿589

172.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.51 NAD 623

$53.6 ฿1,775

-28.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.65 NAD 172

$11.23 ฿372

-5.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.54 NAD 89.6

$7.80 ฿258

-28.97%

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

$210 NAD 3,402

$565 ฿18.7K

-62.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,465 NAD 88.3K

$11.5K ฿379.6K

-52.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 NAD 926

$63.1 ฿2,089

-9.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.53 NAD 574

$29.09 ฿963

22.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 NAD 1,479

$99.2 ฿3,284

-7.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 NAD 1,621

$91.2 ฿3,017

10.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$551 NAD 8,904

$738 ฿24.4K

-25.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 NAD 6,205

$500 ฿16.5K

-23.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 NAD 19.2K

$2,093 ฿69.2K

-43.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 NAD 15.9K

$1,249 ฿41.3K

-21.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,616 NAD 26.1K

$3,530 ฿116.8K

-54.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$613 NAD 9,910

$2,542 ฿84.1K

-75.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,009 NAD 16.3K

$512 ฿16.9K

97.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

5.57

105.03%

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

Last update for Windhoek: August 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 9, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $551 in Windhoek and $738 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Windhoek pays 97% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $53.0 in Windhoek vs $34.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $233 vs $274, with Windhoek cheaper for home cooking.

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

Windhoek vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Windhoek is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Sport & Entertainment. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 97% higher in Windhoek, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $551 in Windhoek versus $738 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $210 in Windhoek versus $565 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,245 in Windhoek versus $1,277 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Windhoek but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Windhoek the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Windhoek 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, Windhoek 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 Windhoek gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.