Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanyang and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanyang: $714 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Nanyang
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Nanyang Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Nanyang

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $714 per month in Nanyang vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Nanyang $714
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,131 per month in Nanyang vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Nanyang $1,131
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,547 per month in Nanyang vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Nanyang $1,547
Phuket $2,867

Nanyang is about 41% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nanyang and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Nanyang 47% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.81 ¥18.76

$4.58 ฿153

-38.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.42 ¥143

$32.48 ฿1,086

-34.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.94 ¥33.06

$8.55 ฿286

-42.22%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥20.27

$2.72 ฿91.0

11.40%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.94 ฿31.25

-54.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.79

$0.49 ฿16.39

-44.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$2.59 ฿86.6

-63.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ¥13.67

$3.83 ฿128

-46.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.31

$1.74 ฿58.1

5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 ¥10.38

$1.43 ฿47.82

8.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.42

$1.53 ฿51.0

-37.25%

Eggs

$1.53 ¥10.22

$2.17 ฿72.7

-29.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.63 ¥84.4

$19.15 ฿640

-34.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ¥20.76

$3.30 ฿110

-6.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 ¥69.4

$11.14 ฿372

-6.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ¥12.43

$2.95 ฿98.5

-36.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.01

$1.68 ฿56.1

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.17

$2.30 ฿76.8

-33.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.71

$2.13 ฿71.3

-46.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥5.00

$1.53 ฿51.1

-50.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 ¥5.91

$1.36 ฿45.55

-35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$1.12 ฿37.44

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.42

$0.55 ฿18.24

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 ¥20.82

$4.26 ฿142

-27.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.54 ¥70.5

$18.19 ฿608

-42.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$1.74 ฿58.2

-54.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.70

$2.79 ฿93.3

-42.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$2.22 ฿74.1

-87.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.87 ¥113

$22.06 ฿737

-23.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.04

$2.91 ฿97.3

-53.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.19

$1.01 ฿33.79

-67.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.54 ¥43.73

$3.83 ฿128

70.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.79

$1.49 ฿49.85

-22.15%

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

$19.2K ¥128.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-28.09%

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

$17.3K ¥115.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-35.15%

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

$44.91 ¥300

$99.4 ฿3,321

-54.81%

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

$9.66 ¥64.6

$11.28 ฿377

-14.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.89 ¥79.5

$17.36 ฿580

-31.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.55 ¥285

$52.3 ฿1,747

-18.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.68 ¥91.5

$10.85 ฿362

26.08%

Cinema Ticket

$6.00 ¥40.10

$7.57 ฿253

-20.74%

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

$328 ¥2,194

$558 ฿18.7K

-41.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥113.3K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

47.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.25 ¥289

$62.9 ฿2,102

-31.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.62 ¥205

$28.58 ฿955

7.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 ¥473

$96.1 ฿3,213

-26.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.3 ¥484

$88.1 ฿2,943

-17.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ¥1,858

$729 ฿24.4K

-61.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ¥1,283

$460 ฿15.4K

-58.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ¥3,891

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-72.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ¥2,398

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-70.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,009 ¥20.1K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-13.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,052 ¥13.7K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-17.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

5.57

-30.16%

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

Last update for Nanyang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nanyang

$197 27.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 35.5% $70

Accommodation & Living

Nanyang

$192 26.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 140% $268

Clothing & Footwear

Nanyang

$98 13.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 27.1% $26

Eating Out

Nanyang

$85 11.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 42.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanyang

$66 9.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 92.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Nanyang

$55 7.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 23.6% $13

Getting Around

Nanyang

$21 2.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 85.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Nanyang versus $729 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 $21.00 in Nanyang versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $268 – making Nanyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Nanyang

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

09:26 9:26 AM

1 h behind Nanyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,085,680

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 20, 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 20, 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

Nanyang Phuket 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nanyang
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

Nanyang vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $714 in Nanyang, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,071 per month in Nanyang and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanyang, 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 $714 in Nanyang and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 69%.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Nanyang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nanyang, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Nanyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $714 in Nanyang to $1,207 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Nanyang. 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.