Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bengbu Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bengbu

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,247 in Phuket versus $657 in Bengbu.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,276 in Phuket versus $1,050 in Bengbu.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Phuket versus $1,443 in Bengbu.

Living in Phuket is roughly 90% more expensive than Bengbu, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 7% lower, Bengbu 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 ฿147

$2.84 ¥19.40

61.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.83 ฿1,501

$22.65 ¥155

106.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿279

$4.85 ¥33.12

79.38%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ฿93.7

$3.11 ¥21.26

-6.11%

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

$0.68 ฿21.92

$0.45 ¥3.05

51.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿12.70

$0.24 ¥1.63

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ฿80.4

$0.80 ¥5.47

213.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ฿122

$2.15 ¥14.70

76.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ฿69.3

$2.06 ¥14.07

4.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 ฿60.3

$1.01 ¥6.92

86.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ฿69.2

$0.67 ¥4.54

222.39%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿71.2

$1.49 ¥10.20

48.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.57 ฿627

$9.31 ¥63.6

110.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.80 ฿122

$2.84 ¥19.36

33.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 ฿430

$9.18 ¥62.7

46.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 ฿104

$1.36 ¥9.32

139.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.7

$1.01 ¥6.88

59.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ฿74.0

$1.36 ¥9.32

69.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 ฿66.0

$0.71 ¥4.85

190.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.5

$0.58 ¥3.93

177.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 ฿46.26

$0.58 ¥3.98

148.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿33.01

$0.71 ¥4.85

45.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.39

$0.44 ¥2.99

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿144

$2.82 ¥19.26

59.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 ฿615

$6.03 ¥41.16

218.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.4

$0.71 ¥4.87

156.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿86.2

$1.35 ¥9.21

99.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 ฿44.16

$0.29 ¥1.99

375.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 ฿377

$16.96 ¥116

-30.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.6

$1.49 ¥10.17

108.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.18

$0.33 ¥2.22

203.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 ฿441

$8.23 ¥56.2

66.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ฿41.61

$1.18 ¥8.05

10.17%

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

$27.4K ฿877.0K

$17.1K ¥117.0K

59.70%

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

$14.2K ¥97.0K

132.45%

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

$125 ฿4,004

$34.29 ¥234

264.19%

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

$13.74 ฿440

$4.94 ¥33.73

178.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.61 ฿597

$8.48 ¥57.9

119.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 ฿1,941

$42.48 ¥290

42.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 ฿550

$14.01 ¥95.7

22.41%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 ฿289

$5.65 ¥38.59

59.47%

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

$698 ฿22.4K

$411 ¥2,807

69.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ฿516.5K

$18.2K ¥124.2K

-11.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 ฿1,898

$43.09 ¥294

37.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 ฿1,118

$32.50 ¥222

7.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ฿3,662

$67.2 ¥459

69.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,751

$82.1 ¥561

4.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿19.8K

$282 ¥1,929

119.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.0K

$184 ¥1,256

137.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 ฿66.5K

$593 ¥4,053

249.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿48.4K

$360 ¥2,459

319.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,764 ฿120.7K

$3,185 ¥21.8K

18.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 ฿86.4K

$1,807 ¥12.3K

49.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 ฿16.9K

$660 ¥4,508

-19.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.87

37.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Last update for Bengbu: April 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $282 in Bengbu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bengbu pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Phuket vs $23 in Bengbu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $160 per month, with Bengbu cheaper across the board.

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 Bengbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bengbu is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 90% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Bengbu earns 25% less. 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: $619 in Phuket versus $282 in Bengbu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $411 in Bengbu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $657 in Bengbu versus $1,247 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bengbu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bengbu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bengbu 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 Bengbu 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 Bengbu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.