Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hua-lien and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,076 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
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Hua-lien Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,076

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Hua-lien $1,076
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,820 in Hua-lien versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Hua-lien $1,820
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,563 in Hua-lien versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Hua-lien $2,563
Phuket $2,867

Living in Hua-lien costs roughly 11% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hua-lien 20% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.99 NT$129

$4.58 ฿153

-12.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.74 NT$932

$32.48 ฿1,086

-11.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 NT$139

$8.55 ฿286

-49.94%

Cappuccino

$2.78 NT$90.3

$2.72 ฿91.0

2.21%

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

$0.93 NT$30.01

$0.94 ฿31.25

-1.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 NT$18.18

$0.49 ฿16.39

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 NT$43.12

$2.59 ฿86.6

-48.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 NT$67.6

$3.83 ฿128

-45.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.93 NT$95.1

$1.74 ฿58.1

68.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 NT$56.9

$1.43 ฿47.82

23.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.50 NT$146

$1.53 ฿51.0

194.12%

Eggs

$1.98 NT$64.1

$2.17 ฿72.7

-8.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.63 NT$636

$19.15 ฿640

2.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.20 NT$201

$3.30 ฿110

87.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.54 NT$828

$11.14 ฿372

129.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.3

$2.95 ฿98.5

-9.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 NT$80.9

$1.68 ฿56.1

48.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 NT$104

$2.30 ฿76.8

39.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 NT$103

$2.13 ฿71.3

49.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 NT$78.7

$1.53 ฿51.1

58.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 NT$74.6

$1.36 ฿45.55

69.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 NT$65.5

$1.12 ฿37.44

80.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 NT$31.72

$0.55 ฿18.24

78.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.88 NT$126

$4.26 ฿142

-8.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 NT$410

$18.19 ฿608

-30.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 NT$62.1

$1.74 ฿58.2

9.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 NT$76.1

$2.79 ฿93.3

-15.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.64

$2.22 ฿74.1

-72.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.66 NT$1,189

$22.06 ฿737

66.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 NT$99.8

$2.91 ฿97.3

5.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 NT$9.91

$1.01 ฿33.79

-69.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.36 NT$336

$3.83 ฿128

170.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 NT$28.98

$1.49 ฿49.85

-40.27%

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

$33.7K NT$1.1M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

26.44%

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

$26.6K NT$862.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-0.42%

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

$103 NT$3,332

$99.4 ฿3,321

3.41%

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

$19.48 NT$632

$11.28 ฿377

72.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.54 NT$407

$17.36 ฿580

-27.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.61 NT$1,187

$52.3 ฿1,747

-29.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 NT$328

$7.57 ฿253

33.69%

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

$767 NT$24.9K

$558 ฿18.7K

37.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K NT$533.1K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

43.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 NT$1,850

$62.9 ฿2,102

-9.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.07 NT$1,170

$28.58 ฿955

26.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 NT$2,576

$96.1 ฿3,213

-17.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 NT$3,455

$88.1 ฿2,943

21.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 NT$13.1K

$729 ฿24.4K

-44.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 NT$8,204

$460 ฿15.4K

-45.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 NT$31.9K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-53.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$740 NT$24.0K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-39.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,755 NT$251.5K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

124.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,989 NT$161.8K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

100.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,940 NT$95.3K

$493 ฿16.5K

496.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

5.57

-61.76%

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

Last update for Hua-lien: 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

Hua-lien

$368 34.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 27.2% $100

Accommodation & Living

Hua-lien

$253 23.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 81.8% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hua-lien

$135 12.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 5% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Hua-lien

$126 11.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 1.2% $1.6

Eating Out

Hua-lien

$95 8.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 27.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Hua-lien

$57 5.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 18.6% $11

Getting Around

Hua-lien

$44 4.1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 11% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Hua-lien and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 496% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Hua-lien vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $268, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

1 h behind Hua-lien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,034

79,308

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hua-lien Phuket 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hua-lien
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

Hua-lien vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 496% higher in Hua-lien, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $404 in Hua-lien versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 37% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hua-lien delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,076 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hua-lien hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Hua-lien and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.