Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bac Ninh and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Ninh: $459 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bac Ninh
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$459
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $459 per month in Bac Ninh vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Bac Ninh $459
  • Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $745 per month in Bac Ninh vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Bac Ninh $745
  • Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,031 per month in Bac Ninh vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Bac Ninh $1,031
  • Phuket $2,867

Bac Ninh is about 62% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bac Ninh and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Bac Ninh 66% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bac Ninh
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.19 ₫30.8K
$4.58 ฿153
-74.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.38 ₫605.3K
$32.48 ฿1,086
-28.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.55 ₫66.0K
$8.55 ฿286
-70.18%
Cappuccino
$1.14 ₫29.5K
$2.72 ฿91.0
-58.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.26 ₫6,728
$0.94 ฿31.25
-72.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.18 ₫4,682
$0.49 ฿16.39
-63.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.66 ₫17.0K
$2.59 ฿86.6
-74.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 ₫25.1K
$3.83 ฿128
-74.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bac Ninh
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 ₫38.0K
$1.74 ฿58.1
-15.52%
White Bread (500g)
$1.12 ₫29.0K
$1.43 ฿47.82
-21.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.75 ₫19.4K
$1.53 ฿51.0
-50.98%
Eggs
$1.50 ₫38.9K
$2.17 ฿72.7
-30.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.28 ₫266.1K
$19.15 ฿640
-46.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.69 ₫95.5K
$3.30 ฿110
11.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.16 ₫263.2K
$11.14 ฿372
-8.80%
Apples (1kg)
$3.37 ₫87.3K
$2.95 ฿98.5
14.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ₫27.0K
$1.68 ฿56.1
-38.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 ₫35.7K
$2.30 ฿76.8
-40.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.10 ₫28.5K
$2.13 ฿71.3
-48.36%
Potato (1kg)
$0.99 ₫25.7K
$1.53 ฿51.1
-35.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 ₫29.3K
$1.36 ฿45.55
-16.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 ₫14.8K
$1.12 ฿37.44
-49.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₫14.5K
$0.55 ฿18.24
1.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.42 ₫36.8K
$4.26 ฿142
-66.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.35 ₫319.6K
$18.19 ฿608
-32.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 ₫23.3K
$1.74 ฿58.2
-48.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₫44.5K
$2.79 ฿93.3
-38.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Bac Ninh
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₫9,594
$2.22 ฿74.1
-83.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$22.06 ฿737
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.79 ₫20.4K
$2.91 ฿97.3
-72.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ₫14.7K
$1.01 ฿33.79
-43.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.29 ₫59.4K
$3.83 ฿128
-40.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 ₫24.6K
$1.49 ฿49.85
-36.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K ₫783.3M
$26.7K ฿891.6K
13.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.6K ₫765.7M
$26.7K ฿892.7K
10.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bac Ninh
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.6 ₫2.2M
$99.4 ฿3,321
-14.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.33 ₫138.0K
$11.28 ฿377
-52.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.99 ₫181.0K
$17.36 ฿580
-59.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bac Ninh
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$11.60 ₫300.2K
$52.3 ฿1,747
-77.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.57 ₫195.9K
$10.85 ฿362
-30.23%
Cinema Ticket
$3.10 ₫80.2K
$7.57 ฿253
-59.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bac Ninh
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ₫18.1M
$558 ฿18.7K
25.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.5K ₫324.9M
$11.5K ฿383.9K
9.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bac Ninh
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.29 ₫1.3M
$62.9 ฿2,102
-23.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.16 ₫677.3K
$28.58 ฿955
-8.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.8 ₫2.1M
$96.1 ฿3,213
-13.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.3 ₫2.0M
$88.1 ฿2,943
-12.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bac Ninh
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$701 ₫18.2M
$729 ฿24.4K
-3.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$460 ฿15.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,096 ฿70.0K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,222 ฿40.8K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,658 ₫42.9M
$3,459 ฿115.6K
-52.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$785 ₫20.3M
$2,489 ฿83.2K
-68.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bac Ninh
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$378 ₫9.8M
$493 ฿16.5K
-23.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.28
5.57
48.65%

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

Last update for Bac Ninh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Bac Ninh
$196
Phuket
$268 36.7% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Bac Ninh
$106
Phuket
$124 17.5% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bac Ninh
$97
Phuket
$128 32.1% $31
Eating Out
Bac Ninh
$38
Phuket
$121 221% $84
Sport & Entertainment
Bac Ninh
$18
Phuket
$67 279% $50
Getting Around
Bac Ninh
$5.1 *
Phuket
$39 661% $34
Accommodation & Living
Bac Ninh
- *
Phuket
$460

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $701 in Bac Ninh versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 30% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Bac Ninh versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $268 – making Bac Ninh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Bac Ninh
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
15:56 3:56 PM
15:56 3:56 PM
Same time as Bac Ninh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
288,766
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bac Ninh Phuket 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bac Ninh
  • 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
Bac Ninh vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bac Ninh or Phuket?
Phuket costs about 163% more than Bac Ninh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bac Ninh and in Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $688 per month in Bac Ninh and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bac Ninh or Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bac Ninh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Bac Ninh and in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Bac Ninh and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Bac Ninh or in Phuket?
Groceries cost about 37% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Bac Ninh or in Phuket?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bac Ninh, where all-in costs run around $459, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Bac Ninh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Bac Ninh or Phuket?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bac Ninh costs $459 versus $1,207 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Bac Ninh compared to Phuket?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Bac Ninh or to Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Bac Ninh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Bac Ninh vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?