Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guilin and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Guilin: $659 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Guilin
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Guilin Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Guilin

🇨🇳 China

$659

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $659 per month in Guilin vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Guilin $659
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,058 per month in Guilin vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Guilin $1,058
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,457 per month in Guilin vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Guilin $1,457
Phuket $2,867

Guilin is about 45% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Guilin and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Guilin 51% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.22 ¥14.85

$4.58 ฿153

-51.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.16 ¥101

$32.48 ฿1,086

-53.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 ¥20.39

$8.55 ฿286

-64.33%

Cappuccino

$2.14 ¥14.32

$2.72 ฿91.0

-21.32%

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

$0.42 ¥2.81

$0.94 ฿31.25

-55.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.49 ฿16.39

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$2.59 ฿86.6

-68.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.33

$3.83 ฿128

-44.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.77

$1.74 ฿58.1

-16.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$1.43 ฿47.82

-12.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$1.53 ฿51.0

-59.48%

Eggs

$1.83 ¥12.26

$2.17 ฿72.7

-15.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.25 ¥88.6

$19.15 ฿640

-30.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ¥22.86

$3.30 ฿110

3.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ¥74.8

$11.14 ฿372

0.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$2.95 ฿98.5

-50.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.90

$1.68 ฿56.1

-29.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.92

$2.30 ฿76.8

-54.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$2.13 ฿71.3

-55.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.90

$1.53 ฿51.1

-52.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.89

$1.36 ฿45.55

-35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ¥4.60

$1.12 ฿37.44

-38.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.91

$0.55 ฿18.24

-21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.10

$4.26 ฿142

-11.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$18.19 ฿608

-27.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.63

$1.74 ฿58.2

-51.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.67

$2.79 ฿93.3

-48.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.22 ฿74.1

-86.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.97 ¥120

$22.06 ฿737

-18.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ¥8.73

$2.91 ฿97.3

-54.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.01 ฿33.79

-71.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.79 ¥52.1

$3.83 ฿128

103.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥8.10

$1.49 ฿49.85

-18.79%

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

$19.2K ¥128.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-27.94%

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

$17.4K ¥116.4K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-34.80%

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

$24.59 ¥164

$99.4 ฿3,321

-75.25%

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

$4.89 ¥32.69

$11.28 ฿377

-56.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.49 ¥76.8

$17.36 ฿580

-33.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.59 ¥278

$52.3 ฿1,747

-20.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.65 ¥98.0

$10.85 ฿362

35.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 ¥35.63

$7.57 ฿253

-29.59%

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

$407 ¥2,719

$558 ฿18.7K

-27.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ¥105.5K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

37.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.52 ¥291

$62.9 ฿2,102

-30.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 ¥212

$28.58 ฿955

10.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.2 ¥503

$96.1 ฿3,213

-21.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 ¥496

$88.1 ฿2,943

-15.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,967

$729 ฿24.4K

-59.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,226

$460 ฿15.4K

-60.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,173

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-70.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 ¥2,486

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-69.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,334 ¥8,916

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-61.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 ¥13.2K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-20.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$497 ¥3,322

$493 ฿16.5K

0.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

5.57

-39.68%

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

Last update for Guilin: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guilin

$196 29.7%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 36.5% $72

Accommodation & Living

Guilin

$183 27.8%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 151% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Guilin

$101 15.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 22.8% $23

Eating Out

Guilin

$64 9.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 89.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Guilin

$52 7.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 29% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guilin

$41 6.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 212% $87

Getting Around

Guilin

$22 3.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 77.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Guilin versus $729 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 1% higher in Guilin, 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 $15.00 in Guilin versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $268 – making Guilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guilin

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

1 h behind Guilin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,931,137

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 →

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Between locations

Guilin Phuket 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Guilin
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

Guilin vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $989 per month in Guilin and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Guilin and $32.00 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 $659 in Guilin and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 83%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guilin, where all-in costs run around $659, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Guilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guilin – 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 Guilin. 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.