Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Baoji

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoji: $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
36

Cost of Living Index in Baoji
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Baoji Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Baoji

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Baoji

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $710 in Baoji.

Phuket $1,278
Baoji $710

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,140 in Baoji.

Phuket $2,216
Baoji $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,571 in Baoji.

Phuket $3,154
Baoji $1,571

Living in Phuket is roughly 80% more expensive than in Baoji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Baoji 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.72 ¥18.07

64.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$11.77 ¥78.3

175.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.42 ¥29.44

99.32%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.09 ¥13.89

35.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.29 ¥1.93

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.29 ¥1.95

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.46 ¥9.71

75.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.48 ¥9.84

148.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.43 ¥9.50

16.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.74 ¥11.58

-16.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.84 ¥5.57

78.57%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$0.87 ¥5.76

140.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$11.57 ¥77.0

64.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.01 ¥26.69

-17.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.66 ¥70.9

2.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.63 ¥10.86

79.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.12 ¥7.45

50.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.24 ¥8.23

81.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.34 ¥8.89

55.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.66 ¥4.38

128.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.73 ¥4.88

89.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.62 ¥4.13

72.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.58 ¥3.89

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.36 ¥22.33

25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$9.49 ¥63.2

98.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.80 ¥5.35

127.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.69 ¥11.24

68.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.29 ¥1.93

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$16.72 ¥111

238.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.29 ¥8.59

134.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.29 ¥1.90

251.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$4.47 ¥29.78

-17.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.29 ¥8.60

13.95%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$19.7K ¥131.0K

36.06%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$18.1K ¥120.3K

47.61%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$90.5 ¥602

6.49%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.32 ¥42.09

78.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$10.91 ¥72.6

54.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$39.00 ¥260

72.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$16.41 ¥109

-34.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.78 ¥38.45

29.76%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$684 ¥4,549

-30.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$17.8K ¥118.2K

-36.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$38.84 ¥258

60.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$37.99 ¥253

-25.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$74.0 ¥493

27.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$90.3 ¥601

-4.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$284 ¥1,887

152.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$159 ¥1,059

208.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$592 ¥3,937

225.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$416 ¥2,769

243.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,853 ¥19.0K

46.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,714 ¥11.4K

77.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Baoji: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Baoji

$159 22.4% 67.6% $332

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Baoji

$191 26.9% 28.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Baoji

$108 15.2% 13.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Baoji

$109 15.3% 11% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Baoji

$73 10.2% 40.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Baoji

$51 7.1% 38.5% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Baoji

$21 2.9% 70.8% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $284 in Baoji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $12 in Baoji for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $191 per month, with Baoji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Baoji

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

14:27 2:27 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,438,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 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 Baoji 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Baoji

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 Baoji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,065 in Baoji 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: $716 in Phuket versus $284 in Baoji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baoji runs roughly 70% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $684 in Baoji. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $710 in Baoji versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Baoji but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Baoji 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.

Expats usually find Baoji 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.