Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jilin and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $722 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
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Jilin Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$722

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $722 per month in Jilin vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Jilin $722
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,195 per month in Jilin vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Jilin $1,195
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,669 per month in Jilin vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Jilin $1,669
Phuket $3,154

Jilin is about 44% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jilin and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Jilin 47% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ¥20.31

$4.47 ฿151

-31.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.62 ¥151

$32.41 ฿1,094

-30.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.37

$8.81 ฿297

-41.32%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.83

$2.83 ฿95.5

21.20%

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

$0.44 ¥2.96

$0.87 ฿29.43

-49.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.49 ฿16.67

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ¥7.24

$2.56 ฿86.4

-57.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.39

$3.68 ฿124

-37.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.64

$1.66 ฿56.0

5.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ¥10.70

$1.46 ฿49.35

10.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.59

$1.50 ฿50.6

-34.00%

Eggs

$1.57 ¥10.46

$2.09 ฿70.5

-24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.29 ¥102

$19.07 ฿644

-19.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ¥20.73

$3.30 ฿111

-5.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 ¥73.7

$10.91 ฿368

1.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 ¥12.51

$2.93 ฿99.0

-35.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.44

$1.69 ฿57.1

-24.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.79

$2.25 ฿75.8

-34.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$2.08 ฿70.1

-37.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ¥4.38

$1.51 ฿51.0

-56.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$1.38 ฿46.56

-26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.07 ฿35.99

-44.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.91

$0.52 ฿17.52

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.12

$4.20 ฿142

-10.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 ¥68.0

$18.79 ฿634

-45.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$1.82 ฿61.5

-58.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.65

$2.84 ฿95.9

-43.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ¥2.28

$1.45 ฿49.03

-76.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.48 ¥116

$56.7 ฿1,913

-69.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ¥7.17

$3.02 ฿102

-64.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$1.02 ฿34.36

-74.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 ¥47.44

$3.69 ฿125

93.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.43

$1.47 ฿49.81

-13.61%

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

$19.8K ¥132.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-25.89%

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

$17.6K ¥116.9K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-34.20%

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

$61.3 ¥408

$96.4 ฿3,254

-36.41%

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

$8.26 ¥55.0

$11.26 ฿380

-26.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.67 ¥71.0

$16.85 ฿569

-36.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.37 ¥262

$67.2 ฿2,270

-41.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.99 ¥113

$10.73 ฿362

58.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ¥42.67

$7.50 ฿253

-14.53%

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

$440 ¥2,930

$476 ฿16.1K

-7.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ¥117.5K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

56.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.55 ¥283

$62.4 ฿2,106

-31.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.53 ¥217

$28.41 ฿959

14.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ¥508

$94.3 ฿3,184

-18.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.0 ¥506

$85.8 ฿2,898

-11.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 ¥1,623

$716 ฿24.2K

-65.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ¥1,085

$491 ฿16.6K

-66.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ¥3,884

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-69.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ¥2,704

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-71.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,551 ¥23.6K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-14.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,139 ¥14.2K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-29.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 ¥2,935

$502 ฿17.0K

-12.18%

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 Jilin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jilin

$209 28.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 27.5% $57

Accommodation & Living

Jilin

$163 22.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 201% $328

Clothing & Footwear

Jilin

$102 14.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 19.1% $20

Eating Out

Jilin

$94 13%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 29.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jilin

$80 11.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 55.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Jilin

$52 7.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 57.5% $30

Getting Around

Jilin

$21 2.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 233% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $244 in Jilin 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 run about 14% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Jilin versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $266 – making Jilin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jilin

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

05:04 5:04 AM

1 h behind Jilin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,623,713

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jilin Phuket 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Jilin
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

Jilin vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 77% more than Jilin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,083 per month in Jilin and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jilin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $440 per month in Jilin and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Jilin, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Jilin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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