Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nantong and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $750 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
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Nantong Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$750

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $750 in Nantong versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Nantong $750
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,237 in Nantong versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Nantong $1,237
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,725 in Nantong versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Nantong $1,725
Phuket $2,867

Living in Nantong costs roughly 38% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nantong 44% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.15

$4.58 ฿153

-34.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.57 ¥158

$32.48 ฿1,086

-27.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.43 ¥29.64

$8.55 ฿286

-48.19%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ¥18.69

$2.72 ฿91.0

2.57%

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

$0.63 ¥4.23

$0.94 ฿31.25

-32.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.23

$0.49 ฿16.39

-32.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$2.59 ฿86.6

-72.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ¥14.56

$3.83 ฿128

-43.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.74 ฿58.1

-7.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.43 ฿47.82

6.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$1.53 ฿51.0

-48.37%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.55

$2.17 ฿72.7

-20.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 ¥44.59

$19.15 ฿640

-65.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 ¥24.66

$3.30 ฿110

11.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 ¥69.3

$11.14 ฿372

-6.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.37

$2.95 ฿98.5

-22.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.34

$1.68 ฿56.1

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.14

$2.30 ฿76.8

-33.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$2.13 ฿71.3

-31.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.51

$1.53 ฿51.1

-56.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ¥6.04

$1.36 ฿45.55

-33.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.46

$1.12 ฿37.44

-40.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.55 ฿18.24

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥23.00

$4.26 ฿142

-19.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 ¥61.1

$18.19 ฿608

-49.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.97

$1.74 ฿58.2

-57.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.06

$2.79 ฿93.3

-40.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ¥1.40

$2.22 ฿74.1

-90.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.73 ¥98.5

$22.06 ฿737

-33.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ¥12.89

$2.91 ฿97.3

-33.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$1.01 ฿33.79

-62.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.78

$3.83 ฿128

82.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$1.49 ฿49.85

-18.79%

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

$19.6K ¥131.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-26.49%

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

$18.8K ¥125.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-29.56%

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

$47.85 ¥320

$99.4 ฿3,321

-51.85%

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

$7.48 ¥50.0

$11.28 ฿377

-33.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.96 ¥100

$17.36 ฿580

-13.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$114 ¥763

$52.3 ฿1,747

118.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.96 ¥80.0

$10.85 ฿362

10.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ¥51.3

$7.57 ฿253

1.45%

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

$203 ¥1,356

$558 ฿18.7K

-63.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K ¥80.1K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

4.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 ¥388

$62.9 ฿2,102

-7.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.62 ¥285

$28.58 ฿955

49.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.3 ¥443

$96.1 ฿3,213

-31.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ¥736

$88.1 ฿2,943

25.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$213 ¥1,422

$729 ฿24.4K

-70.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 ¥946

$460 ฿15.4K

-69.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 ¥4,656

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-66.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ¥2,367

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-71.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,720 ¥24.9K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

7.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,249 ¥15.0K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-9.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,289 ¥8,622

$493 ฿16.5K

161.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Nantong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nantong

$182 24.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 47% $86

Accommodation & Living

Nantong

$142 18.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 225% $318

Sport & Entertainment

Nantong

$130 17.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 48% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Nantong

$125 16.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 0.5% $0.6

Eating Out

Nantong

$83 11%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 46.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nantong

$70 9.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 82.1% $58

Getting Around

Nantong

$19 2.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 101% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $213 in Nantong and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nantong pays 162% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Nantong vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $268 per month, with Nantong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nantong

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

21:04 9:04 PM

1 h behind Nantong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,726,635

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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

Nantong Phuket 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Nantong
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

Nantong vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nantong and Phuket differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($750 vs $1,207 including rent). Nantong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 162% higher in Nantong, 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: $213 in Nantong versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $203 in Nantong versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $750 in Nantong versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nantong but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nantong 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.

Safety-wise, Nantong and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nantong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.