Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ningbo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ningbo: $691 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Ningbo
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Ningbo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ningbo

🇨🇳 China

$691

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $691 in Ningbo versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Ningbo $691
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,179 in Ningbo versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Ningbo $1,179
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,668 in Ningbo versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Ningbo $1,668
Phuket $2,845

Living in Ningbo costs roughly 43% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ningbo 49% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.89 ¥19.32

$4.40 ฿147

-34.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.12 ¥201

$32.26 ฿1,078

-6.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ¥29.83

$8.76 ฿293

-49.09%

Cappuccino

$3.52 ¥23.55

$2.83 ฿94.5

24.38%

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

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.90 ฿30.14

-51.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.47 ฿15.56

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$2.55 ฿85.2

-59.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 ¥23.00

$3.83 ฿128

-10.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.65

$1.73 ฿57.7

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ¥7.79

$1.47 ฿49.11

-21.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.66

$1.51 ฿50.6

-53.64%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.46

$2.17 ฿72.7

-28.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 ¥101

$19.70 ฿658

-22.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.67 ¥24.53

$3.34 ฿112

9.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.78 ¥58.7

$11.16 ฿373

-21.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.13

$2.85 ฿95.1

-62.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$1.70 ฿56.9

-8.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.52

$2.19 ฿73.3

-28.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.13

$2.05 ฿68.4

-40.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.45 ฿48.57

-57.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.69

$1.38 ฿46.16

-49.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.32

$1.07 ฿35.69

-39.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ¥3.83

$0.51 ฿16.91

11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.61 ¥30.79

$4.26 ฿142

8.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.03 ¥53.7

$18.58 ฿621

-56.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.43

$1.78 ฿59.7

-54.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ¥10.04

$2.85 ฿95.2

-47.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$2.26 ฿75.6

-86.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.67 ¥111

$22.10 ฿738

-24.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$3.01 ฿101

-44.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.31

$1.06 ฿35.34

-66.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.16 ¥47.90

$3.86 ฿129

85.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$1.45 ฿48.45

-8.28%

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

$19.6K ¥131.1K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-25.50%

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

$18.1K ¥121.3K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-32.69%

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

$51.9 ¥347

$96.4 ฿3,221

-46.14%

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

$6.67 ¥44.63

$11.04 ฿369

-39.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.80 ¥52.1

$17.14 ฿573

-54.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.44 ¥170

$52.2 ฿1,744

-51.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.16 ¥94.7

$11.16 ฿373

26.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.05 ¥53.8

$7.81 ฿261

3.07%

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

$932 ¥6,234

$556 ฿18.6K

67.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ¥106.6K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

37.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.8 ¥427

$64.2 ฿2,146

-0.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.75 ¥179

$28.69 ฿959

-6.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.2 ¥416

$95.4 ฿3,187

-34.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ¥351

$88.0 ฿2,940

-40.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,394

$737 ฿24.6K

-51.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 ¥1,230

$462 ฿15.5K

-60.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 ¥5,121

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-63.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 ¥3,136

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-60.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,784 ¥25.3K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

8.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,053 ¥13.7K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-18.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,193 ¥7,977

$501 ฿16.7K

138.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

5.57

-42.91%

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

Last update for Ningbo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ningbo

$191 27.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 40.5% $77

Accommodation & Living

Ningbo

$184 26.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 151% $278

Eating Out

Ningbo

$94 13.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 29.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Ningbo

$92 13.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 34.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ningbo

$66 9.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 87.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Ningbo

$42 6%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 63.2% $26

Getting Around

Ningbo

$21 3.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 85% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Ningbo and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ningbo pays 138% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Ningbo vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $269 per month, with Ningbo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Ningbo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

06:29 6:29 AM

1 h behind Ningbo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,605,689

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

Ningbo Phuket 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ningbo
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

Ningbo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ningbo wins on cost – living expenses run 75% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ningbo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 138% higher in Ningbo, 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: $358 in Ningbo versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $932 in Ningbo versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $691 in Ningbo versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ningbo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ningbo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ningbo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $691 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ningbo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ningbo 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 Ningbo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.