Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Beijing (Pekin)

For one person, living is cheaper in Beijing (Pekin): $1,190 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Beijing (Pekin)
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Beijing (Pekin) Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Beijing (Pekin) $1,190

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,889 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Beijing (Pekin) $1,889

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,588 in Beijing (Pekin), rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Beijing (Pekin) $2,588

Phuket costs about 9% more than Beijing (Pekin), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Beijing (Pekin) are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Beijing (Pekin) 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$4.54 ¥30.23

-3.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$29.58 ¥197

9.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$5.22 ¥34.77

66.67%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.73 ¥24.87

-27.08%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.53 ¥3.53

75.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.29 ¥1.94

72.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.17 ¥7.79

116.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.70 ¥11.30

113.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.69 ¥11.28

2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.70 ¥11.29

-14.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.30 ¥8.67

15.38%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.99 ¥13.25

9.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$14.82 ¥98.7

28.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$3.29 ¥21.90

3.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$10.93 ¥72.8

-0.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.09 ¥13.94

40.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.71 ¥11.40

-1.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.05 ¥13.65

6.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.56 ¥10.38

35.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$0.74 ¥4.92

97.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$0.84 ¥5.57

63.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.74 ¥4.91

45.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.57 ¥3.82

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.25 ¥28.33

4.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$14.22 ¥94.7

28.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$0.98 ¥6.50

80.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.88 ¥12.55

53.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.57 ¥3.82

154.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$29.59 ¥197

85.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.94 ¥12.89

-22.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.33 ¥2.22

136.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$7.08 ¥47.17

-45.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.37 ¥9.12

8.76%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$19.8K ¥132.0K

35.67%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$17.9K ¥119.2K

47.20%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$59.7 ¥398

63.86%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$8.90 ¥59.3

26.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$14.41 ¥96.0

19.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$46.85 ¥312

45.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$24.86 ¥166

-56.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.50 ¥49.98

-0.93%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$968 ¥6,447

-45.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$44.5K ¥296.7K

-57.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$72.2 ¥481

-14.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$40.00 ¥266

-29.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$89.3 ¥595

7.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$125 ¥830

-30.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$942 ¥6,277

-23.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$525 ¥3,496

-3.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$2,250 ¥15.0K

-13.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,061 ¥7,069

31.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$12.2K ¥80.9K

-65.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$6,534 ¥43.5K

-49.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$1,688 ¥11.2K

-70.89%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Beijing (Pekin): November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Beijing (Pekin)

$525 44.1% 3.1% $16

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Beijing (Pekin)

$228 19.2% 14.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Beijing (Pekin)

$83 7% 34.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Beijing (Pekin)

$147 12.3% 19.6% $24

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Beijing (Pekin)

$109 9.2% 8.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Beijing (Pekin)

$62 5.2% 25.6% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Beijing (Pekin)

$35 3% 46.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $942 in Beijing (Pekin). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Beijing (Pekin) are about 3.4 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 $30 in Beijing (Pekin). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $228 – making Beijing (Pekin) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Beijing (Pekin)

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

21,893,095 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Beijing (Pekin) 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Beijing (Pekin)

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 Beijing (Pekin): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,784 in Beijing (Pekin). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $942 in Beijing (Pekin).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $30 in Beijing (Pekin). That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin). That makes Beijing (Pekin) about 8% cheaper.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,294 in Phuket and $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin), leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,190 in Beijing (Pekin) to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.