Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bengbu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bengbu: $666 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Bengbu
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Bengbu Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Bengbu

🇨🇳 China

$666

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $666 in Bengbu versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Bengbu $666
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,043 in Bengbu versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Bengbu $1,043
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,420 in Bengbu versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Bengbu $1,420
Phuket $2,867

Living in Bengbu costs roughly 45% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bengbu 51% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 ¥15.42

$4.58 ฿153

-49.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.50 ¥70.2

$32.48 ฿1,086

-67.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ¥31.80

$8.55 ฿286

-44.33%

Cappuccino

$3.15 ¥21.08

$2.72 ฿91.0

15.81%

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

$0.47 ¥3.16

$0.94 ฿31.25

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.49 ฿16.39

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ¥9.67

$2.59 ฿86.6

-44.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ¥14.74

$3.83 ฿128

-42.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ¥14.56

$1.74 ฿58.1

25.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ¥6.82

$1.43 ฿47.82

-28.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.85

$1.53 ฿51.0

-52.94%

Eggs

$1.32 ¥8.82

$2.17 ฿72.7

-39.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ¥69.7

$19.15 ฿640

-45.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ¥20.30

$3.30 ฿110

-7.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ¥60.2

$11.14 ฿372

-19.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.03

$2.95 ฿98.5

-49.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.13

$1.68 ฿56.1

-36.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$2.30 ฿76.8

-33.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$2.13 ฿71.3

-63.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.53 ฿51.1

-59.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.20

$1.36 ฿45.55

-53.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ¥5.09

$1.12 ฿37.44

-32.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.90

$0.55 ฿18.24

-21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ¥19.56

$4.26 ฿142

-31.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 ¥40.82

$18.19 ฿608

-66.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.11

$1.74 ฿58.2

-56.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ¥9.86

$2.79 ฿93.3

-47.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$2.22 ฿74.1

-86.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.48 ¥137

$22.06 ฿737

-7.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$2.91 ฿97.3

-44.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.57

$1.01 ฿33.79

-62.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.15 ¥61.2

$3.83 ฿128

138.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.66

$1.49 ฿49.85

-13.42%

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

$19.2K ¥128.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-28.03%

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

$16.6K ¥111.2K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-37.71%

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

$36.70 ¥245

$99.4 ฿3,321

-63.07%

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

$5.39 ¥36.01

$11.28 ฿377

-52.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.07 ¥47.24

$17.36 ฿580

-59.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.28 ¥276

$52.3 ฿1,747

-21.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.25 ¥109

$10.85 ฿362

49.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 ¥40.07

$7.57 ฿253

-20.87%

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

$417 ¥2,788

$558 ฿18.7K

-25.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ¥147.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

92.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.41 ¥290

$62.9 ฿2,102

-30.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 ¥226

$28.58 ฿955

18.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 ¥442

$96.1 ฿3,213

-31.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ¥592

$88.1 ฿2,943

0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$729 ฿24.4K

-59.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,209

$460 ฿15.4K

-60.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 ¥3,920

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-72.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 ¥2,334

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-71.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,507 ¥23.4K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

1.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,194 ¥14.7K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-11.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$668 ¥4,468

$493 ฿16.5K

35.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.42

5.57

-38.60%

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

Last update for Bengbu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bengbu

$181 27.2%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 154% $279

Groceries & Markets

Bengbu

$168 25.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 59.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Bengbu

$104 15.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18.9% $20

Eating Out

Bengbu

$85 12.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 42.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Bengbu

$53 8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 26.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bengbu

$49 7.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 160% $79

Getting Around

Bengbu

$25 3.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 54% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $294 in Bengbu and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bengbu pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $11.00 in Bengbu vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $168 vs $268 per month, with Bengbu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Bengbu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

1 h behind Bengbu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,296,408

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

Bengbu Phuket 3,400 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bengbu
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

Bengbu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bengbu is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Bengbu, 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: $294 in Bengbu versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $417 in Bengbu 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 59% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $666 in Bengbu versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bengbu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bengbu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bengbu 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, Bengbu 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 Bengbu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.