Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ninh Binh and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ninh Binh: $727 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Ninh Binh
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Ninh Binh Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ninh Binh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$727

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $727 in Ninh Binh versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Ninh Binh $727
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,162 in Ninh Binh versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Ninh Binh $1,162
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,598 in Ninh Binh versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Ninh Binh $1,598
Phuket $3,115

Living in Ninh Binh costs roughly 44% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ninh Binh 46% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.94 ₫50.0K

$4.39 ฿148

-55.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.91 ₫538.6K

$32.31 ฿1,086

-35.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.66 ₫120.2K

$8.70 ฿293

-46.44%

Cappuccino

$1.71 ₫44.1K

$2.72 ฿91.6

-37.13%

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

$0.51 ₫13.0K

$0.93 ฿31.28

-45.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,834

$0.50 ฿16.79

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₫25.1K

$2.53 ฿85.1

-61.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ₫38.6K

$3.63 ฿122

-58.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 ₫35.3K

$1.74 ฿58.5

-21.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ₫24.9K

$1.45 ฿48.77

-33.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.8K

$1.50 ฿50.5

-33.33%

Eggs

$1.40 ₫36.0K

$2.17 ฿73.0

-35.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 ₫299.2K

$19.09 ฿642

-39.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 ₫94.9K

$3.40 ฿114

8.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.71 ₫250.2K

$10.90 ฿366

-10.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 ₫69.5K

$2.94 ฿98.9

-8.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.4K

$1.69 ฿56.9

-37.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$2.19 ฿73.8

-40.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₫27.9K

$2.12 ฿71.4

-49.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.3K

$1.46 ฿49.03

-30.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.2K

$1.37 ฿45.99

-22.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ₫16.6K

$1.08 ฿36.17

-40.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.5K

$0.55 ฿18.34

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.37 ₫35.3K

$4.43 ฿149

-69.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.29 ₫290.9K

$18.25 ฿614

-38.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₫19.3K

$1.77 ฿59.6

-57.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₫41.0K

$2.88 ฿96.8

-44.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ₫8,905

$1.45 ฿48.66

-75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.51 ₫167.8K

$54.9 ฿1,845

-88.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.1K

$1.51 ฿50.9

-53.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₫16.9K

$0.78 ฿26.08

-15.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 ₫70.1K

$3.84 ฿129

-29.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₫21.6K

$1.49 ฿50.0

-43.62%

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

$34.7K ₫892.7M

$26.9K ฿903.7K

28.92%

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

$31.8K ₫818.2M

$26.3K ฿885.7K

20.56%

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

$74.4 ₫1.9M

$97.8 ฿3,288

-23.96%

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

$5.83 ₫150.1K

$11.29 ฿380

-48.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.89 ₫229.1K

$17.19 ฿578

-48.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.02 ₫567.1K

$68.3 ฿2,297

-67.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.69 ₫198.2K

$10.92 ฿367

-29.58%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 ₫80.7K

$7.43 ฿250

-57.87%

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

$264 ₫6.8M

$530 ฿17.8K

-50.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ₫295.7M

$18.8K ฿631.4K

-38.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.22 ₫1.1M

$61.7 ฿2,073

-33.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.57 ₫607.3K

$28.25 ฿950

-16.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 ₫2.3M

$96.0 ฿3,228

-8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ₫2.0M

$86.8 ฿2,919

-12.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 ₫9.1M

$721 ฿24.2K

-51.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 ₫6.3M

$509 ฿17.1K

-51.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 ₫18.6M

$1,950 ฿65.6K

-62.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$528 ₫13.6M

$1,397 ฿47.0K

-62.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,092 ₫53.9M

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-50.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,220 ₫31.4M

$3,298 ฿110.9K

-63.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

5.57

63.38%

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

Last update for Ninh Binh: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ninh Binh

$245 33.7%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 108% $264

Groceries & Markets

Ninh Binh

$189 26%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 41.2% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Ninh Binh

$103 14.1%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 19.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ninh Binh

$89 12.3%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 41.8% $37

Eating Out

Ninh Binh

$61 8.4%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 95.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Ninh Binh

$28 3.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 194% $55

Getting Around

Ninh Binh

$12 1.6%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 457% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $353 in Ninh Binh and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21 in Ninh Binh vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $267 per month, with Ninh Binh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ninh Binh

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

Same time as Ninh Binh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,406

79,308

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 29,000 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ninh Binh Phuket 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ninh Binh
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

Ninh Binh vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ninh Binh is about 44% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,091 in Ninh Binh and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $353 in Ninh Binh versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $264 in Ninh Binh versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $727 in Ninh Binh versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ninh Binh but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ninh Binh 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, Ninh Binh and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ninh Binh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.