Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Phuket

🙂 Solo nomad: Chengdu is 32.5% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 45.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chengdu is 33% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 54.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chengdu
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.72 ¥18.80
$4.65 ฿148
-41.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.31 ¥161
$46.11 ฿1,463
-49.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 ¥33.05
$8.74 ฿277
-45.31%
Cappuccino
$2.86 ¥19.73
$3.04 ฿96.4
-5.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥3.04
$0.72 ฿22.85
-38.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.93
$0.39 ฿12.41
-28.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.10 ¥7.59
$2.44 ฿77.4
-54.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 ¥14.23
$3.79 ฿120
-45.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chengdu
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.81 ¥12.53
$2.14 ฿68.0
-15.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.39 ¥9.62
$1.86 ฿59.0
-25.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.90 ¥6.25
$2.19 ฿69.4
-58.90%
Eggs
$1.86 ¥12.85
$2.25 ฿71.2
-17.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.91 ¥96.1
$19.73 ฿626
-29.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.62 ¥25.02
$3.79 ฿120
-4.49%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.32 ¥78.2
$13.55 ฿430
-16.46%
Apples (1kg)
$1.94 ¥13.43
$3.25 ฿103
-40.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ¥8.45
$1.67 ฿53.0
-26.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 ¥10.08
$2.39 ฿75.9
-38.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.03 ¥7.08
$2.09 ฿66.4
-50.72%
Potato (1kg)
$0.71 ¥4.90
$1.53 ฿48.50
-53.59%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ¥5.14
$1.51 ฿47.89
-50.99%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.57 ¥3.93
$0.99 ฿31.37
-42.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ¥4.20
$0.51 ฿16.33
19.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.28 ¥22.64
$4.27 ฿136
-23.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.35 ¥36.98
$20.31 ฿644
-73.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 ¥7.01
$1.79 ฿56.8
-43.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.88 ¥13.01
$2.77 ฿87.8
-32.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Chengdu
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.41 ¥2.83
$1.40 ฿44.54
-70.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.62 ¥191
$11.70 ฿371
136.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 ¥8.79
$3.11 ฿98.7
-59.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.26 ¥1.79
$0.99 ฿31.55
-73.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.13 ¥28.52
$13.73 ฿436
-69.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ¥8.16
$1.32 ฿41.84
-10.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.7K ¥129.3K
$27.2K ฿863.9K
-31.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.1K ¥111.5K
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-52.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chengdu
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$43.59 ¥301
$120 ฿3,819
-63.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.52 ¥79.6
$13.93 ฿442
-17.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.46 ¥79.2
$18.31 ฿581
-37.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chengdu
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.31 ¥168
$60.9 ฿1,933
-60.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.25 ¥77.8
$17.23 ฿547
-34.71%
Cinema Ticket
$5.68 ¥39.28
$8.71 ฿276
-34.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chengdu
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$331 ¥2,284
$698 ฿22.1K
-52.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K ¥84.0K
$15.7K ฿499.1K
-22.74%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chengdu
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.27 ¥258
$57.6 ฿1,828
-35.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.97 ¥262
$34.24 ฿1,086
10.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$67.7 ¥468
$113 ฿3,590
-40.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$51.1 ¥353
$84.8 ฿2,690
-39.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chengdu
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$316 ¥2,182
$604 ฿19.2K
-47.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$185 ¥1,278
$436 ฿13.8K
-57.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ¥4,224
$2,057 ฿65.2K
-70.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$326 ¥2,251
$1,498 ฿47.5K
-78.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,985 ¥27.5K
$4,252 ฿134.9K
-6.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,020 ¥14.0K
$2,988 ฿94.8K
-32.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chengdu
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,120 ¥7,742
$529 ฿16.8K
111.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.21
5.33
-21.01%

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

Last update for Chengdu: February 28, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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