Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jiangmen and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiangmen: $513 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Jiangmen
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Jiangmen Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Jiangmen

🇨🇳 China

$513

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $513 in Jiangmen versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Jiangmen $513
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $998 in Jiangmen versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Jiangmen $998
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,483 in Jiangmen versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Jiangmen $1,483
Phuket $2,867

Living in Jiangmen costs roughly 57% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jiangmen 62% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.29 ¥21.97

$4.58 ฿153

-28.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.07 ¥201

$32.48 ฿1,086

-7.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.49

$8.55 ฿286

-37.89%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ¥15.38

$2.72 ฿91.0

-15.44%

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

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.94 ฿31.25

-54.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.49 ฿16.39

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$2.59 ฿86.6

-64.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ¥9.79

$3.83 ฿128

-61.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$1.74 ฿58.1

-8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.89

$1.43 ฿47.82

13.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.12

$1.53 ฿51.0

-30.07%

Eggs

$1.77 ¥11.86

$2.17 ฿72.7

-18.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.48 ¥144

$19.15 ฿640

12.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.28 ¥15.27

$3.30 ฿110

-30.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.5

$11.14 ฿372

20.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 ¥14.47

$2.95 ฿98.5

-26.78%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.94

$1.68 ฿56.1

-47.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.80

$2.30 ฿76.8

-49.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 ¥9.57

$2.13 ฿71.3

-32.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ¥4.28

$1.53 ฿51.1

-58.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.25

$1.36 ฿45.55

-31.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$1.12 ฿37.44

-74.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$0.55 ฿18.24

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.45

$4.26 ฿142

-28.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.19 ¥81.5

$18.19 ฿608

-32.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥4.63

$1.74 ฿58.2

-60.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.74

$2.79 ฿93.3

-36.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 ¥2.93

$2.22 ฿74.1

-80.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$2.91 ฿97.3

-51.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$1.01 ฿33.79

-61.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.09 ¥47.43

$3.83 ฿128

85.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.97

$1.49 ฿49.85

-10.07%

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

$19.8K ¥132.2K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-25.88%

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

$16.5K ¥110.5K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-38.12%

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

$49.45 ¥331

$99.4 ฿3,321

-50.24%

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

$8.60 ¥57.5

$11.28 ฿377

-23.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.27 ¥82.1

$17.36 ฿580

-29.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.28 ¥202

$52.3 ฿1,747

-42.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.51 ¥30.19

$10.85 ฿362

-58.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ¥43.40

$7.57 ฿253

-14.27%

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

$251 ¥1,676

$558 ฿18.7K

-55.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,533 ¥50.4K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-34.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.21 ¥202

$62.9 ฿2,102

-51.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.86 ¥266

$28.58 ฿955

39.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ¥485

$96.1 ฿3,213

-24.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.20 ¥296

$88.1 ฿2,943

-49.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 ¥2,968

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-78.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥1,826

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-77.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,098 ¥40.8K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

76.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,223 ¥8,178

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-50.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ¥3,957

$493 ฿16.5K

20.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

5.57

-39.86%

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

Last update for Jiangmen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jiangmen

$230 44.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 16.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Jiangmen

$84 16.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 47.6% $40

Eating Out

Jiangmen

$80 15.6%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 51.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jiangmen

$70 13.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 82% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Jiangmen

$43 8.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 55.8% $24

Getting Around

Jiangmen

$5.1 * 1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 663% $34

Accommodation & Living

Jiangmen

- * 0%

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Jiangmen pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Jiangmen vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $268 per month, with Jiangmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jiangmen

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

1 h behind Jiangmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,448,871

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Jiangmen Phuket 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jiangmen
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

Jiangmen vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiangmen and Phuket differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($513 vs $1,207 including rent). Jiangmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Jiangmen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $251 in Jiangmen versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jiangmen – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $513 in Jiangmen versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jiangmen but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Jiangmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Jiangmen 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 Jiangmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.