Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baiquan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Baiquan: $729 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baiquan
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Baiquan Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Baiquan

🇨🇳 China

$729

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $729 in Baiquan versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Baiquan $729
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,151 in Baiquan versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Baiquan $1,151
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,574 in Baiquan versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Baiquan $1,574
Phuket $2,867

Living in Baiquan costs roughly 40% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baiquan 46% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.84 ¥18.96

$4.58 ฿153

-37.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.15 ¥135

$32.48 ฿1,086

-37.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥33.35

$8.55 ฿286

-41.64%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ¥18.48

$2.72 ฿91.0

1.47%

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

$0.50 ¥3.35

$0.94 ฿31.25

-46.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.49 ฿16.39

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ¥7.13

$2.59 ฿86.6

-58.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ¥13.93

$3.83 ฿128

-45.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ¥11.94

$1.74 ฿58.1

2.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥9.99

$1.43 ฿47.82

4.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$1.53 ฿51.0

-36.60%

Eggs

$1.76 ¥11.75

$2.17 ฿72.7

-18.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.56 ¥90.7

$19.15 ฿640

-29.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.55

$3.30 ฿110

-11.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.54 ¥63.8

$11.14 ฿372

-14.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 ¥14.21

$2.95 ฿98.5

-28.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.69

$1.68 ฿56.1

-13.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.79

$2.30 ฿76.8

-43.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$2.13 ฿71.3

-38.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ¥4.37

$1.53 ฿51.1

-57.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.36 ฿45.55

-32.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$1.12 ฿37.44

-47.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$0.55 ฿18.24

14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 ¥21.67

$4.26 ฿142

-23.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.19 ¥74.8

$18.19 ฿608

-38.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$1.74 ฿58.2

-55.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$2.79 ฿93.3

-43.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$2.22 ฿74.1

-86.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.29 ¥116

$22.06 ฿737

-21.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 ¥11.02

$2.91 ฿97.3

-43.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.33

$1.01 ฿33.79

-65.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 ¥49.36

$3.83 ฿128

92.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.34

$1.49 ฿49.85

-16.11%

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

$18.2K ¥121.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-31.87%

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

$15.5K ¥103.4K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-42.12%

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

$54.4 ¥363

$99.4 ฿3,321

-45.30%

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

$9.68 ¥64.7

$11.28 ฿377

-14.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.50 ¥70.2

$17.36 ฿580

-39.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.83 ¥246

$52.3 ฿1,747

-29.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.25 ¥109

$10.85 ฿362

49.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 ¥40.35

$7.57 ฿253

-20.34%

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

$450 ¥3,008

$558 ฿18.7K

-19.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.4K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

46.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.80 ¥326

$62.9 ฿2,102

-22.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.35 ¥250

$28.58 ฿955

30.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 ¥537

$96.1 ฿3,213

-16.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 ¥531

$88.1 ฿2,943

-9.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 ¥1,971

$729 ฿24.4K

-59.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ¥1,252

$460 ฿15.4K

-59.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$697 ¥4,660

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-66.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥2,379

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-70.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,812 ¥25.5K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

10.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,827 ¥12.2K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-26.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.57

-39.68%

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

Last update for Baiquan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Baiquan

$202 27.7%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 32.6% $66

Accommodation & Living

Baiquan

$187 25.7%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 146% $273

Clothing & Footwear

Baiquan

$111 15.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 12.1% $13

Eating Out

Baiquan

$84 11.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 45.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baiquan

$75 10.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 71.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Baiquan

$49 6.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 37.9% $19

Getting Around

Baiquan

$22 3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 78.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $295 in Baiquan and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20.00 in Baiquan vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $202 vs $268 per month, with Baiquan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baiquan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

1 h behind Baiquan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Baiquan Phuket 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Baiquan
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

Baiquan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baiquan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,093 in Baiquan 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: $295 in Baiquan versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $450 in Baiquan versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $729 in Baiquan versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baiquan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Baiquan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Baiquan 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, Baiquan 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 Baiquan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.