Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mudanjiang and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Mudanjiang: $736 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mudanjiang
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Mudanjiang Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Mudanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$736

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $736 per month in Mudanjiang vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Mudanjiang $736
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $1,158 per month in Mudanjiang vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Mudanjiang $1,158
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $1,581 per month in Mudanjiang vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Mudanjiang $1,581
Phuket $2,845

Mudanjiang is about 39% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mudanjiang and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Mudanjiang 46% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 ¥20.43

$4.40 ฿147

-30.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.31 ¥89.0

$32.26 ฿1,078

-58.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.08 ¥40.66

$8.76 ฿293

-30.59%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ¥18.30

$2.83 ฿94.5

-3.18%

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

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.90 ฿30.14

-52.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.47 ฿15.56

-38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 ¥7.04

$2.55 ฿85.2

-58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.33

$3.83 ฿128

-44.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥12.03

$1.73 ฿57.7

4.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.98

$1.47 ฿49.11

11.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$1.51 ฿50.6

-39.07%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.74

$2.17 ฿72.7

-25.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 ¥90.1

$19.70 ฿658

-31.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.92

$3.34 ฿112

2.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 ¥73.9

$11.16 ฿373

-0.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.36

$2.85 ฿95.1

-35.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.79

$1.70 ฿56.9

-22.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.00

$2.19 ฿73.3

-31.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.39

$2.05 ฿68.4

-39.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.97

$1.45 ฿48.57

-48.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.96

$1.38 ฿46.16

-35.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.24

$1.07 ฿35.69

-41.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.51 ฿16.91

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 ¥24.34

$4.26 ฿142

-14.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.69 ¥78.2

$18.58 ฿621

-37.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.45

$1.78 ฿59.7

-54.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.70

$2.85 ฿95.2

-43.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$2.26 ฿75.6

-86.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.77 ¥119

$22.10 ฿738

-19.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$3.01 ฿101

-51.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$1.06 ฿35.34

-66.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.01 ¥46.88

$3.86 ฿129

81.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.67

$1.45 ฿48.45

-10.34%

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

$19.7K ¥131.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-25.24%

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

$17.1K ¥114.4K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-36.52%

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

$58.2 ¥389

$96.4 ฿3,221

-39.67%

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

$8.46 ¥56.6

$11.04 ฿369

-23.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.09 ¥74.2

$17.14 ฿573

-35.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.44 ¥277

$52.2 ฿1,744

-20.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.68 ¥98.1

$11.16 ฿373

31.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.22 ¥41.61

$7.81 ฿261

-20.36%

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

$416 ¥2,782

$556 ฿18.6K

-25.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

53.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.96 ¥294

$64.2 ฿2,146

-31.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.55 ¥224

$28.69 ฿959

16.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ¥506

$95.4 ฿3,187

-20.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.4 ¥491

$88.0 ฿2,940

-16.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥2,028

$737 ฿24.6K

-58.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 ¥1,223

$462 ฿15.5K

-60.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 ¥4,218

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-69.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 ¥2,545

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-68.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,508 ¥23.5K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

0.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,975 ¥13.2K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-21.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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 Mudanjiang: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mudanjiang

$209 28.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 28.6% $60

Accommodation & Living

Mudanjiang

$183 24.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 153% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Mudanjiang

$102 13.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 21.9% $22

Eating Out

Mudanjiang

$88 12%

Phuket

$121 10% 37.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mudanjiang

$78 10.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 60.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Mudanjiang

$54 7.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 25.8% $14

Getting Around

Mudanjiang

$22 3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 77.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $303 in Mudanjiang versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Mudanjiang versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $269 – making Mudanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Mudanjiang

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

17:37 5:37 PM

1 h behind Mudanjiang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

965,154

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 23, 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 23, 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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Highest

Between locations

Mudanjiang Phuket 5,070 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mudanjiang
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

Mudanjiang vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 64% more than Mudanjiang, 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 $1,103 per month in Mudanjiang and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $736 in Mudanjiang and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 64%.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Mudanjiang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mudanjiang, where all-in costs run around $736, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Mudanjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mudanjiang costs $736 versus $1,208 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Mudanjiang. 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.