Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Anshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Anshan: $626 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Anshan
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Anshan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Anshan

🇨🇳 China

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Anshan

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 Anshan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $626 in Anshan.

Phuket $1,208
Anshan $626

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,011 in Anshan.

Phuket $2,027
Anshan $1,011

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,396 in Anshan.

Phuket $2,845
Anshan $1,396

Living in Phuket is roughly 93% more expensive than in Anshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Anshan 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.94 ¥19.67

49.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$18.46 ¥123

74.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.59 ¥30.70

90.85%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.49 ¥16.65

13.65%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.36 ¥2.38

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.21 ¥1.40

123.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.73 ¥4.89

249.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.61 ¥10.79

137.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.77 ¥11.80

-2.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.26 ¥8.42

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.39 ¥2.59

287.18%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.06 ¥7.07

104.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.06 ¥60.6

117.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$1.83 ¥12.24

82.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.93 ¥59.7

24.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.02 ¥6.83

179.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.17 ¥7.80

45.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.17 ¥7.83

87.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.19 ¥7.95

72.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.31 ¥2.08

367.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.92 ¥6.14

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.29 ¥1.93

268.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.44 ¥2.92

15.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.78 ¥25.28

12.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.39 ¥49.42

151.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.72 ¥4.79

147.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.09 ¥7.29

161.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.29 ¥1.92

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$18.04 ¥121

22.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.03 ¥6.90

192.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.14 ¥0.90

657.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$2.93 ¥19.59

31.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.05 ¥7.05

38.10%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

35.04%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$15.1K ¥101.2K

77.99%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$29.47 ¥197

227.04%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$7.37 ¥49.28

49.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$14.66 ¥98.0

16.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$41.48 ¥277

25.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.78 ¥98.9

-24.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.93 ¥39.63

31.70%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$226 ¥1,514

145.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$21.4K ¥143.1K

-45.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$36.77 ¥246

74.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$32.89 ¥220

-12.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$60.6 ¥405

57.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$69.9 ¥468

25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$295 ¥1,971

150.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$182 ¥1,217

154.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$629 ¥4,209

232.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$377 ¥2,518

218.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,509 ¥23.5K

-0.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,923 ¥12.9K

31.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$926 ¥6,194

-45.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

178.50%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Anshan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Anshan

$182 29.1% 60.6% $280

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Anshan

$152 24.2% 43.6% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Anshan

$52 8.2% 58.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Anshan

$90 14.4% 27.5% $34

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Anshan

$76 12.2% 37% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Anshan

$53 8.5% 21.3% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Anshan

$21 3.3% 47% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $295 in Anshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Anshan pays 85% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Anshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $152 per month, with Anshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Anshan

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

20:29 8:29 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,543,696

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Anshan 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Anshan

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 Anshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Anshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Anshan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $295 in Anshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Anshan – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $626 in Anshan – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $626 in Anshan versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Anshan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Anshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Anshan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Anshan 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 Anshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.