Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dali and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,737 in Dali, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Dali
Learn more

Dali Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Dali

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,737

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,737 per month in Dali vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Dali $1,737
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,635 per month in Dali vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Dali $2,635
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,533 per month in Dali vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Dali $3,533
Phuket $3,154

Dali costs about 36% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dali sits 28% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 €12.08

$4.47 ฿151

200.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.9 €48.43

$32.41 ฿1,094

66.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 €7.08

$8.81 ฿297

-10.56%

Cappuccino

$3.58 €3.22

$2.83 ฿95.5

26.50%

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

$1.73 €1.55

$0.87 ฿29.43

98.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.49 ฿16.67

132.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.35 €3.91

$2.56 ฿86.4

69.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 €3.49

$3.68 ฿124

5.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.66 ฿56.0

-1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.29

$1.46 ฿49.35

-2.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.50 ฿50.6

58.67%

Eggs

$4.14 €3.72

$2.09 ฿70.5

98.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 €12.02

$19.07 ฿644

-29.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.44 €7.59

$3.30 ฿111

155.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.70 €10.51

$10.91 ฿368

7.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.93 ฿99.0

-11.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 €1.62

$1.69 ฿57.1

6.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.25 ฿75.8

-25.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.31

$2.08 ฿70.1

23.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.51 ฿51.0

-9.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.38 ฿46.56

-18.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 €0.57

$1.07 ฿35.99

-40.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.94

$0.52 ฿17.52

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.42 €4.87

$4.20 ฿142

29.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.88 €6.18

$18.79 ฿634

-63.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.50

$1.82 ฿61.5

-8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.80

$2.84 ฿95.9

-29.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 €2.21

$1.45 ฿49.03

69.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 €49.76

$56.7 ฿1,913

-2.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 €6.64

$3.02 ฿102

144.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.02 ฿34.36

102.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.65 €20.35

$3.69 ฿125

513.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.47 ฿49.81

9.52%

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

$30.6K €27.5K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

14.45%

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

$32.8K €29.5K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

22.99%

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

$182 €164

$96.4 ฿3,254

88.88%

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

$18.39 €16.52

$11.26 ฿380

63.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.53 €27.43

$16.85 ฿569

81.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 €66.2

$67.2 ฿2,270

9.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.13 €23.48

$10.73 ฿362

143.52%

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 €10.20

$7.50 ฿253

51.47%

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

$384 €345

$476 ฿16.1K

-19.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,572 €5,905

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-41.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 €59.5

$62.4 ฿2,106

6.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.52 €29.22

$28.41 ฿959

14.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.3 €60.5

$94.3 ฿3,184

-28.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 €78.9

$85.8 ฿2,898

2.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 €637

$716 ฿24.2K

-0.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 €658

$491 ฿16.6K

49.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,543 €1,387

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-19.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,181

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-8.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,152 €2,832

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-24.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 €2,421

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-11.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,113 €1,000

$502 ฿17.0K

121.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

5.57

-40.57%

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

Last update for Dali: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dali

$732 42.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 33% $241

Groceries & Markets

Dali

$265 15.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 0.5% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dali

$231 13.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 46.1% $106

Eating Out

Dali

$215 12.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 43.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Dali

$114 6.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 6.7% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dali

$96 5.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 14.6% $14

Getting Around

Dali

$83 4.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 15% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $709 in Dali 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 Dali are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Dali versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $265 in Dali vs $266 in Phuket – so Dali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Dali

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

16:11 4:11 PM

5 h ahead of Dali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dali Phuket 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Dali
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

Dali vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,737 in Dali, $1,278 in Phuket – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,605 per month in Dali and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $709 in Dali and $716 in Phuket. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $384 per month in Dali and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,737 in Dali and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 36%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Dali at $1,737. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dali 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 $1,278 in Phuket to $1,737 in Dali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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