Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanning and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanning: $737 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Nanning
Learn more

Nanning Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Nanning

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Nanning versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Nanning $737
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,176 in Nanning versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Nanning $1,176
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,615 in Nanning versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Nanning $1,615
Phuket $3,154

Living in Nanning costs roughly 42% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nanning 46% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 ¥19.73

$4.47 ฿151

-33.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.42 ¥136

$32.41 ฿1,093

-36.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 ¥38.31

$8.81 ฿297

-34.62%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ¥15.51

$2.83 ฿95.4

-17.67%

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

$0.56 ¥3.70

$0.87 ฿29.41

-35.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.49 ฿16.65

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.84

$2.56 ฿86.3

-65.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ¥15.29

$3.68 ฿124

-37.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 ¥14.91

$1.66 ฿55.9

34.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 ¥14.86

$1.46 ฿49.31

52.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.54

$1.50 ฿50.5

-24.67%

Eggs

$1.93 ¥12.85

$2.09 ฿70.5

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ¥68.5

$19.07 ฿643

-45.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.93 ¥26.14

$3.30 ฿111

19.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 ¥117

$10.91 ฿368

61.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.57

$2.93 ฿98.9

-35.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.73

$1.69 ฿57.0

-22.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.11

$2.25 ฿75.8

-32.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ¥11.17

$2.08 ฿70.0

-19.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.45

$1.51 ฿51.0

-35.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.05

$1.38 ฿46.52

-12.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$1.07 ฿35.96

-46.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ¥4.22

$0.52 ฿17.51

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 ¥27.10

$4.20 ฿142

-3.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 ¥99.3

$18.79 ฿634

-20.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.82 ฿61.5

-48.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥10.96

$2.84 ฿95.8

-41.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ¥3.30

$1.45 ฿48.98

-65.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.90 ¥106

$56.7 ฿1,912

-71.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$3.02 ฿102

-54.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$1.02 ฿34.33

-54.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.48 ¥49.76

$3.69 ฿125

102.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.62

$1.47 ฿49.76

-11.56%

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

$23.2K ¥154.6K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-13.23%

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

$13.2K ¥88.2K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-50.37%

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

$33.66 ¥224

$96.4 ฿3,251

-65.06%

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

$14.52 ¥96.6

$11.26 ฿380

28.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.84 ¥72.2

$16.85 ฿568

-35.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.0 ¥506

$67.2 ฿2,268

13.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ¥49.41

$10.73 ฿362

-30.75%

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 ¥46.14

$7.50 ฿253

-7.60%

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

$304 ¥2,020

$476 ฿16.1K

-36.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,423 ¥29.4K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-60.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.68 ¥131

$62.4 ฿2,104

-68.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.48 ¥196

$28.41 ฿958

3.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.5 ¥436

$94.3 ฿3,181

-30.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.4 ¥481

$85.8 ฿2,895

-15.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ¥1,669

$716 ฿24.2K

-64.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ¥1,036

$491 ฿16.6K

-68.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 ¥2,580

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-79.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,959

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-79.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,516 ¥23.4K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-15.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,577 ¥10.5K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-48.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 ¥4,438

$502 ฿16.9K

32.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.63

5.57

-34.83%

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

Last update for Nanning: 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

Nanning

$245 33.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 8.6% $21

Accommodation & Living

Nanning

$156 21.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 215% $335

Sport & Entertainment

Nanning

$90 12.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 8.5% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Nanning

$84 11.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 44.8% $38

Eating Out

Nanning

$81 11%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 49.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanning

$59 8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 111% $65

Getting Around

Nanning

$22 2.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 227% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $251 in Nanning and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nanning pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20 in Nanning vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $266 per month, with Nanning cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanning

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

01:51 1:51 AM

1 h behind Nanning

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,741,584

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 = 2.65 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nanning Phuket 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nanning
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

Nanning vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $737 in Nanning and $1,278 in Phuket, so Nanning is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Nanning, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $251 in Nanning versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nanning runs roughly 72% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $304 in Nanning versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $737 in Nanning versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Nanning but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nanning 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.

Expats usually find Nanning gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.