Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chongqing and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Chongqing: $722 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chongqing
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Chongqing Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$722

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $722 per month in Chongqing vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Chongqing $722
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $1,175 per month in Chongqing vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Chongqing $1,175
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $1,629 per month in Chongqing vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Chongqing $1,629
Phuket $2,845

Chongqing is about 40% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chongqing and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Chongqing 47% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 ¥17.62

$4.40 ฿147

-40.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.26 ¥149

$32.26 ฿1,078

-31.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ¥32.27

$8.76 ฿293

-44.86%

Cappuccino

$2.07 ¥13.81

$2.83 ฿94.5

-26.86%

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

$0.46 ¥3.11

$0.90 ฿30.14

-48.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.47 ฿15.56

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$2.55 ฿85.2

-52.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ¥11.84

$3.83 ฿128

-53.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ¥13.44

$1.73 ฿57.7

16.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$1.47 ฿49.11

12.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$1.51 ฿50.6

-59.60%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥15.04

$2.17 ฿72.7

3.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.76 ¥119

$19.70 ฿658

-9.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.11

$3.34 ฿112

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 ¥67.1

$11.16 ฿373

-10.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 ¥10.00

$2.85 ฿95.1

-47.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.57

$1.70 ฿56.9

-24.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.26

$2.19 ฿73.3

-43.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$2.05 ฿68.4

-40.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$1.45 ฿48.57

-57.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$1.38 ฿46.16

-26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ¥6.02

$1.07 ฿35.69

-15.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.51 ฿16.91

21.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.32

$4.26 ฿142

-28.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.98 ¥60.1

$18.58 ฿621

-51.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$1.78 ฿59.7

-57.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.55

$2.85 ฿95.2

-39.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$2.26 ฿75.6

-84.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.52 ¥151

$22.10 ฿738

1.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$3.01 ฿101

-51.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$1.06 ฿35.34

-70.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ¥19.46

$3.86 ฿129

-24.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.45 ฿48.45

-8.97%

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

$19.4K ¥129.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-26.24%

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

$17.2K ¥115.0K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-36.18%

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

$45.07 ¥301

$96.4 ฿3,221

-53.24%

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

$7.26 ¥48.52

$11.04 ฿369

-34.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.19 ¥48.09

$17.14 ฿573

-58.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 ¥331

$52.2 ฿1,744

-5.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.40 ¥69.6

$11.16 ฿373

-6.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.95 ¥39.81

$7.81 ฿261

-23.82%

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

$289 ¥1,929

$556 ฿18.6K

-48.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K ¥167.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

116.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.99 ¥267

$64.2 ฿2,146

-37.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.64 ¥198

$28.69 ฿959

3.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ¥441

$95.4 ฿3,187

-30.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 ¥430

$88.0 ฿2,940

-26.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 ¥2,851

$737 ฿24.6K

-42.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,313

$462 ฿15.5K

-57.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$894 ¥5,977

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-57.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 ¥2,823

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-64.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,741 ¥18.3K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-21.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,741 ¥11.6K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-30.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,102 ¥7,371

$501 ฿16.7K

120.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

5.57

-40.04%

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

Last update for Chongqing: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chongqing

$214 29.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 25.4% $54

Accommodation & Living

Chongqing

$196 27.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 135% $266

Clothing & Footwear

Chongqing

$90 12.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 38.2% $34

Eating Out

Chongqing

$73 10.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 65.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chongqing

$61 8.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 10.4% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chongqing

$60 8.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 109% $65

Getting Around

Chongqing

$27 3.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 46.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Chongqing versus $737 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 run about 120% higher in Chongqing, 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 $22.00 in Chongqing versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $269 – making Chongqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

20:19 8:19 PM

1 h behind Chongqing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,564,449

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 21, 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 21, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chongqing Phuket 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chongqing
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

Chongqing vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,082 per month in Chongqing and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chongqing, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $289 per month in Chongqing and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chongqing, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Chongqing it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chongqing – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chongqing. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.