Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beijing (Pekin) and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,190 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,190

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,190
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,889 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $1,889
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $2,588 per month in Beijing (Pekin) vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Beijing (Pekin) $2,588
Phuket $3,115

Beijing (Pekin) is about 8% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Beijing (Pekin) and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.54 ¥30.28

$4.39 ฿148

3.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.58 ¥197

$32.31 ฿1,086

-8.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.22 ¥34.83

$8.70 ฿293

-40.00%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ¥24.91

$2.72 ฿91.6

37.13%

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

$0.53 ¥3.54

$0.93 ฿31.28

-43.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.50 ฿16.79

-42.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.81

$2.53 ฿85.1

-53.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.32

$3.63 ฿122

-53.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ¥11.30

$1.74 ฿58.5

-2.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥11.31

$1.45 ฿48.77

17.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.50 ฿50.5

-13.33%

Eggs

$1.99 ¥13.27

$2.17 ฿73.0

-8.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.82 ¥98.8

$19.09 ฿642

-22.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ¥21.94

$3.40 ฿114

-3.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ¥72.9

$10.90 ฿366

0.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 ¥13.96

$2.94 ฿98.9

-28.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.42

$1.69 ฿56.9

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 ¥13.68

$2.19 ฿73.8

-6.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.40

$2.12 ฿71.4

-26.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$1.46 ฿49.03

-49.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.58

$1.37 ฿45.99

-38.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$1.08 ฿36.17

-31.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.55 ฿18.34

3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ¥28.38

$4.43 ฿149

-4.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.22 ¥94.9

$18.25 ฿614

-22.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$1.77 ฿59.6

-44.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥12.57

$2.88 ฿96.8

-34.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$1.45 ฿48.66

-60.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.59 ¥197

$54.9 ฿1,845

-46.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ¥12.91

$1.51 ฿50.9

28.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.23

$0.78 ฿26.08

-57.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 ¥47.25

$3.84 ฿129

84.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$1.49 ฿50.0

-8.05%

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

$19.8K ¥132.2K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

-26.29%

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

$17.9K ¥119.4K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

-32.07%

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

$59.7 ¥398

$97.8 ฿3,288

-38.97%

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

$8.90 ¥59.4

$11.29 ฿380

-21.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.41 ¥96.2

$17.19 ฿578

-16.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 ¥313

$68.3 ฿2,297

-31.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.86 ¥166

$10.92 ฿367

127.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ¥50.1

$7.43 ฿250

0.94%

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

$968 ¥6,458

$530 ฿17.8K

82.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.5K ¥297.2K

$18.8K ฿631.4K

137.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 ¥482

$61.7 ฿2,073

17.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.00 ¥267

$28.25 ฿950

41.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 ¥596

$96.0 ฿3,228

-6.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 ¥832

$86.8 ฿2,919

43.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 ¥6,287

$721 ฿24.2K

30.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 ¥3,502

$509 ฿17.1K

3.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,250 ¥15.0K

$1,950 ฿65.6K

15.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 ¥7,081

$1,397 ฿47.0K

-24.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.2K ¥81.1K

$4,192 ฿140.9K

189.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,534 ¥43.6K

$3,298 ฿110.9K

98.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,688 ¥11.3K

$492 ฿16.5K

243.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

5.57

-43.99%

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

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beijing (Pekin)

$525 44.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 3.1% $16

Groceries & Markets

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.2%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 16.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.3%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 16.4% $24

Eating Out

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.2%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 9.4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beijing (Pekin)

$83 7%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 52.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 34.5% $21

Getting Around

Beijing (Pekin)

$35 3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 86.2% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $942 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $721 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 in Beijing (Pekin) are about 3.4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $267 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:49 9:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

1 h behind Beijing (Pekin)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,893,095 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Beijing (Pekin) Phuket 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Beijing (Pekin)
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

Beijing (Pekin) vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,784 per month in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $942 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Beijing (Pekin) and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Beijing (Pekin) about 8% cheaper.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin) and $1,294 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin) to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.