Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Baoding

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoding: $710 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Baoding
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Baoding Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Baoding

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Baoding

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $710 in Baoding, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Baoding $710

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,110 in Baoding, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Baoding $1,110

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,510 in Baoding, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Baoding $1,510

Phuket costs about 80% more than Baoding, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Baoding are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Baoding 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.75 ¥11.67

155.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$17.65 ¥117

83.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.98 ¥33.17

76.91%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.32 ¥8.76

114.39%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.51 ¥3.37

70.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.21 ¥1.40

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$0.77 ¥5.14

232.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.24 ¥8.27

196.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.51 ¥10.07

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.76 ¥11.75

-17.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.72 ¥4.81

108.33%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.82 ¥5.44

154.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$14.62 ¥97.3

30.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$1.83 ¥12.21

80.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.34 ¥48.83

48.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$0.77 ¥5.10

280.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.62 ¥4.13

172.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.01 ¥13.39

11.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.62 ¥4.15

235.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.44 ¥2.91

243.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.58 ¥3.86

137.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.71 ¥4.70

50.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.44 ¥2.92

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.40 ¥29.29

-4.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.19 ¥94.4

32.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.59 ¥3.92

208.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.06 ¥7.07

167.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.23 ¥1.53

530.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$18.29 ¥122

209.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.38 ¥9.17

118.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.33 ¥2.17

209.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.48 ¥49.80

-50.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.18 ¥7.88

24.58%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.6K ¥130.2K

36.83%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$18.3K ¥121.6K

46.04%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$59.6 ¥396

61.77%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.45 ¥29.61

153.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$4.48 ¥29.81

276.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$41.78 ¥278

60.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.46 ¥89.5

-20.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.33 ¥35.47

40.71%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$431 ¥2,868

10.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$24.0K ¥159.9K

-53.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$71.8 ¥478

-13.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$40.93 ¥272

-30.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$86.7 ¥577

8.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$128 ¥854

-33.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$290 ¥1,930

146.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$189 ¥1,258

159.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$609 ¥4,055

216.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$360 ¥2,395

297.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,255 ¥21.7K

28.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,964 ¥13.1K

55.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,288 ¥8,571

-61.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.12

78.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Baoding: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Baoding

$189 26.6% 61.5% $302

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Baoding

$177 24.9% 33.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Baoding

$68 9.6% 45% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Baoding

$147 20.8% 21% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Baoding

$54 7.6% 55.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Baoding

$52 7.4% 36.2% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Baoding

$22 3.1% 68.5% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $290 in Baoding. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Baoding are about 2.6 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $18 in Baoding. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $177 – making Baoding the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Baoding

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

11,437,217

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Baoding 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Baoding

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 Baoding: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $710 in Baoding – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,066 in Baoding. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Baoding, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Baoding. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $431 in Baoding. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Baoding, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Baoding it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Baoding is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 80% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.