Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chang-hua

For one person, living is cheaper in Chang-hua: $864 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Chang-hua
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Chang-hua Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Chang-hua

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$864

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chang-hua

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 Chang-hua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $864 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Chang-hua $864

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,343 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Chang-hua $1,343

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,822 in Chang-hua, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Chang-hua $1,822

Phuket costs about 40% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Chang-hua are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Chang-hua 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$3.83 NT$124

19.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$32.76 NT$1,062

-0.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$5.53 NT$179

54.61%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.63 NT$52.7

66.87%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.96 NT$30.99

-2.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.56 NT$18.01

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.36 NT$44.21

90.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.17 NT$70.3

76.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.38 NT$77.1

-26.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.07 NT$67.2

-30.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.94 NT$95.5

-47.96%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.76 NT$89.5

-21.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$16.19 NT$525

18.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$9.51 NT$308

-65.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$21.23 NT$688

-47.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$4.82 NT$156

-38.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$3.38 NT$110

-50.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.93 NT$95.1

-21.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.17 NT$103

-32.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.77 NT$89.8

-44.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.11 NT$68.4

-35.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.69 NT$54.9

-33.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.77 NT$24.97

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.96 NT$128

7.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$9.43 NT$306

92.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.38 NT$44.70

26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.29 NT$74.4

21.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.55 NT$50.4

43.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$34.80 NT$1,129

-36.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.65 NT$85.9

9.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.76 NT$24.71

32.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$9.29 NT$301

-58.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.06 NT$34.39

40.57%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$33.1K NT$1.1M

-19.49%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$24.3K NT$787.5K

9.99%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$31.62 NT$1,025

214.26%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$16.99 NT$551

-33.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$18.71 NT$607

-7.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$31.75 NT$1,029

64.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$9.38 NT$304

-19.30%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$636 NT$20.6K

-12.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$7,946 NT$257.7K

44.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$49.35 NT$1,600

27.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$15.47 NT$502

84.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$78.1 NT$2,534

23.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$49.57 NT$1,607

77.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$252 NT$8,160

189.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$170 NT$5,528

169.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$509 NT$16.5K

311.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$169 NT$5,480

623.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,959 NT$96.0K

16.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,631 NT$52.9K

52.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$2,011 NT$65.2K

-75.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.2

153.18%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chang-hua: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Chang-hua

$170 19.7% 62.9% $290

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Chang-hua

$358 41.4% 33.8% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Chang-hua

$67 7.8% 47.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Chang-hua

$87 10% 30.2% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Chang-hua

$84 9.7% 30.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Chang-hua

$51 5.8% 25.1% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Chang-hua

$47 5.5% 22.1% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $252 in Chang-hua. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 308% higher in Chang-hua, 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $33.00 in Chang-hua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $358 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇼 Chang-hua

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

226,564

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Chang-hua 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chang-hua

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 Chang-hua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 40% more than Chang-hua, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,296 in Chang-hua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chang-hua, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,207 in Phuket and $864 in Chang-hua. That's a gap of about 40%.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Chang-hua. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chang-hua, where all-in costs run around $864, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Chang-hua it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chang-hua costs $864 versus $1,207 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chang-hua. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.