Cost of Living Comparison Between Kunming, Yunnan and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Kunming, Yunnan and Phuket

🙂 Solo nomad: Kunming, Yunnan is 18.2% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 36.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Kunming, Yunnan is 21.1% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 46.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kunming, Yunnan
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.76 ¥19.13
$4.65 ฿147
-40.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.51 ¥190
$46.11 ฿1,460
-40.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.86 ¥47.48
$8.74 ฿277
-21.51%
Cappuccino
$3.14 ¥21.72
$3.04 ฿96.2
3.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ¥3.21
$0.72 ฿22.80
-36.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.25 ¥1.72
$0.39 ฿12.38
-35.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.40 ¥9.71
$2.44 ฿77.2
-42.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 ¥14.80
$3.79 ฿120
-43.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kunming, Yunnan
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.93 ¥13.34
$2.14 ฿67.9
-9.81%
White Bread (500g)
$1.66 ¥11.50
$1.86 ฿58.9
-10.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.30 ¥8.97
$2.19 ฿69.2
-40.64%
Eggs
$1.79 ¥12.42
$2.25 ฿71.1
-20.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.16 ¥49.56
$19.73 ฿625
-63.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.27 ¥29.54
$3.79 ฿120
12.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.65 ¥73.7
$13.55 ฿429
-21.40%
Apples (1kg)
$1.27 ¥8.80
$3.25 ฿103
-60.92%
Banana (1kg)
$0.91 ¥6.27
$1.67 ฿52.9
-45.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 ¥9.54
$2.39 ฿75.7
-42.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 ¥7.88
$2.09 ฿66.2
-45.45%
Potato (1kg)
$0.34 ¥2.32
$1.53 ฿48.39
-77.78%
Onion (1kg)
$0.81 ¥5.61
$1.51 ฿47.79
-46.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 ¥10.49
$0.99 ฿31.30
53.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 ¥3.96
$0.51 ฿16.30
11.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.05 ¥14.18
$4.27 ฿135
-51.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.51 ¥45.02
$20.31 ฿643
-67.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 ¥5.21
$1.79 ฿56.7
-58.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 ¥10.34
$2.77 ฿87.6
-46.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Kunming, Yunnan
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.61 ¥4.23
$1.40 ฿44.44
-56.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.23 ¥244
$11.70 ฿370
201.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 ¥7.57
$3.11 ฿98.4
-64.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ¥1.95
$0.99 ฿31.48
-71.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.17 ¥98.1
$13.73 ฿435
3.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ¥8.14
$1.32 ฿41.75
-10.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.4K ¥141.3K
$27.2K ฿862.0K
-25.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.2K ¥118.7K
$34.1K ฿1.1M
-49.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kunming, Yunnan
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.4 ¥355
$120 ฿3,811
-57.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.33 ¥106
$13.93 ฿441
10.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.45 ¥114
$18.31 ฿579
-10.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kunming, Yunnan
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$69.0 ¥478
$60.9 ฿1,928
13.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.39 ¥183
$17.23 ฿545
53.16%
Cinema Ticket
$6.29 ¥43.54
$8.71 ฿276
-27.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kunming, Yunnan
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$420 ¥2,905
$698 ฿22.1K
-39.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.1K ¥90.4K
$15.7K ฿498.0K
-16.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kunming, Yunnan
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.9 ¥484
$57.6 ฿1,824
21.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.24 ¥230
$34.24 ฿1,084
-2.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.1 ¥444
$113 ฿3,582
-43.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 ¥723
$84.8 ฿2,684
23.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kunming, Yunnan
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$275 ¥1,904
$604 ฿19.1K
-54.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$207 ¥1,430
$436 ฿13.8K
-52.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$508 ¥3,512
$2,057 ฿65.1K
-75.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$343 ¥2,375
$1,498 ฿47.4K
-77.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,992 ¥20.7K
$4,252 ฿134.6K
-29.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,471 ¥10.2K
$2,988 ฿94.6K
-50.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kunming, Yunnan
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$856 ¥5,924
$529 ฿16.7K
61.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.45
5.33
-16.51%

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

Last update for Kunming, Yunnan: March 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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