Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ankang

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankang: $725 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ankang
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Ankang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Ankang

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ankang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Ankang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $725 in Ankang, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Ankang $725

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,132 in Ankang, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Ankang $1,132

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,540 in Ankang, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Ankang $1,540

Phuket costs about 66% more than Ankang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Ankang are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Ankang 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$1.47 ¥9.81

211.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$14.99 ¥100

116.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$2.91 ¥19.46

193.81%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.15 ¥14.39

26.51%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.43 ¥2.90

118.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.27 ¥1.79

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.50 ¥10.03

72.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.48 ¥9.86

158.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.47 ¥9.85

18.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.70 ¥11.37

-15.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.90 ¥5.99

70.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.49 ¥9.98

45.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$11.41 ¥76.3

67.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$4.12 ¥27.53

-19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$10.36 ¥69.2

7.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.70 ¥11.34

73.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.15 ¥7.67

46.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.24 ¥8.32

85.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.26 ¥8.44

69.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.68 ¥4.52

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.69 ¥4.61

97.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.58 ¥3.85

93.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.55 ¥3.68

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.31 ¥22.15

28.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$9.89 ¥66.1

83.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.78 ¥5.19

123.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.68 ¥11.22

66.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.32 ¥2.12

593.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$17.21 ¥115

28.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.25 ¥8.35

132.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.29 ¥1.93

248.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.36 ¥29.16

-12.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.36 ¥9.08

9.56%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.3K ¥129.3K

37.91%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$17.5K ¥117.0K

52.65%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$89.3 ¥597

11.23%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$3.26 ¥21.79

246.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$10.61 ¥70.9

63.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$44.85 ¥300

16.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$13.11 ¥87.7

-17.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.68 ¥37.99

33.27%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$679 ¥4,540

-17.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$17.2K ¥115.2K

-33.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$39.44 ¥264

59.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$37.19 ¥249

-23.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$74.4 ¥498

29.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$92.4 ¥618

-4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$299 ¥2,002

143.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$182 ¥1,220

152.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$616 ¥4,117

240.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$386 ¥2,582

216.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,279 ¥21.9K

5.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,225 ¥14.9K

11.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.35

66.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ankang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Ankang

$182 25.2% 60.3% $278

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Ankang

$193 26.6% 27.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Ankang

$103 14.2% 19.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Ankang

$110 15.1% 11.7% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Ankang

$60 8.2% 50.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Ankang

$56 7.8% 16.6% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Ankang

$21 2.9% 45.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $299 in Ankang. 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $15.00 in Ankang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $193 – making Ankang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Ankang

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

17:16 5:16 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

894,853

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Ankang 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ankang

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

Phuket vs Ankang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 66%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,088 in Ankang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ankang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Ankang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $679 in Ankang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ankang, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Ankang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ankang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Ankang. 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.