Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanchong and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchong: $685 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Nanchong
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Nanchong Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Nanchong

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $685 per month in Nanchong vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Nanchong $685
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,106 per month in Nanchong vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Nanchong $1,106
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,527 per month in Nanchong vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Nanchong $1,527
Phuket $3,154

Nanchong is about 46% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nanchong and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Nanchong 50% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.77 ¥11.75

$4.47 ฿151

-60.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.40 ¥149

$32.41 ฿1,094

-30.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.91 ¥19.34

$8.81 ฿297

-66.97%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ¥13.87

$2.83 ฿95.4

-26.15%

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

$0.43 ¥2.86

$0.87 ฿29.42

-50.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.49 ฿16.66

-40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 ¥7.82

$2.56 ฿86.3

-53.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥12.28

$3.68 ฿124

-49.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ¥13.44

$1.66 ฿56.0

21.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.88

$1.46 ฿49.32

12.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.03

$1.50 ฿50.5

-59.33%

Eggs

$2.16 ¥14.37

$2.09 ฿70.5

3.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.80 ¥118

$19.07 ฿643

-6.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 ¥22.67

$3.30 ฿111

3.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ¥67.2

$10.91 ฿368

-7.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$2.93 ฿98.9

-47.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.64

$1.69 ฿57.0

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.00

$2.25 ฿75.8

-46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.45

$2.08 ฿70.1

-38.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ¥4.42

$1.51 ฿51.0

-56.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.66

$1.38 ฿46.54

-27.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ¥5.55

$1.07 ฿35.97

-21.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$0.52 ฿17.51

17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.33

$4.20 ฿142

-27.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.05 ¥60.1

$18.79 ฿634

-51.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.49

$1.82 ฿61.5

-54.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.35

$2.84 ฿95.9

-39.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ¥2.10

$1.45 ฿49.00

-77.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.36 ¥115

$56.7 ฿1,912

-69.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 ¥9.84

$3.02 ฿102

-50.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$1.02 ฿34.34

-71.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ¥19.79

$3.69 ฿125

-19.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.38

$1.47 ฿49.78

-14.29%

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

$19.2K ¥127.4K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-28.39%

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

$17.1K ¥113.9K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-35.81%

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

$44.65 ¥297

$96.4 ฿3,252

-53.66%

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

$7.13 ¥47.35

$11.26 ฿380

-36.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 ¥48.34

$16.85 ฿569

-56.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.05 ¥279

$67.2 ฿2,269

-37.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.76 ¥91.4

$10.73 ฿362

28.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.07 ¥40.34

$7.50 ฿253

-19.07%

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

$293 ¥1,949

$476 ฿16.1K

-38.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K ¥166.2K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

122.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.28 ¥261

$62.4 ฿2,105

-37.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.15 ¥200

$28.41 ฿959

6.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.1 ¥439

$94.3 ฿3,182

-29.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.6 ¥422

$85.8 ฿2,896

-25.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 ¥1,914

$716 ฿24.2K

-59.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 ¥1,230

$491 ฿16.6K

-62.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 ¥4,080

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-68.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 ¥2,427

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-74.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,027 ¥20.1K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-27.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,984 ¥13.2K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-34.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

5.57

-40.04%

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

Last update for Nanchong: 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

Nanchong

$216 31.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 23.5% $51

Accommodation & Living

Nanchong

$185 27%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 165% $306

Clothing & Footwear

Nanchong

$90 13.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 36.1% $32

Eating Out

Nanchong

$60 8.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 102% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanchong

$59 8.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 111% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Nanchong

$54 7.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 51.7% $28

Getting Around

Nanchong

$22 3.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 228% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $288 in Nanchong 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Nanchong versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $266 – making Nanchong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanchong

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

16:20 4:20 PM

1 h behind Nanchong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,607,565

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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nanchong Phuket 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nanchong
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

Nanchong vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $685 in Nanchong, $1,278 in Phuket – Nanchong comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,028 per month in Nanchong 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 Nanchong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $293 per month in Nanchong 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 24% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nanchong, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Nanchong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Nanchong is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 46% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.