Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $726 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $726 per month in Chengdu vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Chengdu $726
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Chengdu vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Chengdu $1,170
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,614 per month in Chengdu vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Chengdu $1,614
Phuket $3,154

Chengdu is about 43% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chengdu and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 47% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.43

$4.47 ฿151

-34.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.28 ¥148

$32.41 ฿1,093

-31.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 ¥32.28

$8.81 ฿297

-44.95%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥19.95

$2.83 ฿95.4

6.01%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.87 ฿29.41

-41.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.49 ฿16.65

-46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$2.56 ฿86.3

-41.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.20

$3.68 ฿124

-38.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.29

$1.66 ฿55.9

11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$1.46 ฿49.31

2.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.58

$1.50 ฿50.5

-34.00%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.70

$2.09 ฿70.5

-22.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.31 ¥95.2

$19.07 ฿643

-24.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ¥24.25

$3.30 ฿111

10.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 ¥73.4

$10.91 ฿368

1.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.62

$2.93 ฿98.9

-35.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.23

$1.69 ฿57.0

-17.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.91

$2.25 ฿75.8

-53.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ¥7.98

$2.08 ฿70.0

-42.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.91

$1.51 ฿51.0

-50.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.57

$1.38 ฿46.52

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.23

$1.07 ฿35.96

-40.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.83

$0.52 ฿17.51

11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.53

$4.20 ฿142

-12.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 ¥29.09

$18.79 ฿634

-76.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.58

$1.82 ฿61.5

-53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$2.84 ฿95.8

-47.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$1.45 ฿48.98

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.23 ¥168

$56.7 ฿1,912

-55.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ¥8.83

$3.02 ฿102

-55.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$1.02 ฿34.33

-69.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 ¥29.08

$3.69 ฿125

18.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.48

$1.47 ฿49.76

-13.61%

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

$19.6K ¥130.7K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-26.63%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-32.38%

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

$46.65 ¥310

$96.4 ฿3,251

-51.58%

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

$9.40 ¥62.6

$11.26 ฿380

-16.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.87 ¥85.6

$16.85 ฿568

-23.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.11 ¥180

$67.2 ฿2,268

-59.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.21 ¥74.6

$10.73 ฿362

4.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 ¥41.03

$7.50 ฿253

-17.73%

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

$1,161 ¥7,725

$476 ฿16.1K

143.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K ¥101.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

35.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.36 ¥169

$62.4 ฿2,104

-59.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.52 ¥183

$28.41 ฿958

-3.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.1 ¥380

$94.3 ฿3,181

-39.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 ¥354

$85.8 ฿2,895

-38.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 ¥2,830

$716 ฿24.2K

-40.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 ¥1,540

$491 ฿16.6K

-52.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 ¥5,027

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-60.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,178

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-66.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,476 ¥23.1K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-16.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 ¥12.3K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-39.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,278 ¥8,503

$502 ฿16.9K

154.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

5.57

-39.32%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$231 31.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 112% $259

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$195 26.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 36.7% $71

Eating Out

Chengdu

$89 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 36.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 10.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 66% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 80.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 109% $43

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 141% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $425 in Chengdu versus $716 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 Chengdu are about 2.5 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 $22 in Chengdu versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $266 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

23:27 11:27 PM

1 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chengdu Phuket 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
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

Chengdu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $726 in Chengdu, $1,278 in Phuket – Chengdu comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,090 per month in Chengdu and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $425 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chengdu 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 $726 in Chengdu and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Chengdu about 43% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Chengdu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $726 in Chengdu to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Chengdu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 43% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.