Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chengdu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $726 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chengdu

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $726 in Chengdu, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Chengdu $726

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,170 in Chengdu, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Chengdu $1,170

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,614 in Chengdu, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Chengdu $1,614

Phuket costs about 76% more than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Chengdu are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Chengdu 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.92 ¥19.40

53.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$22.28 ¥148

45.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.85 ¥32.22

81.65%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.2

$3.00 ¥19.91

-5.67%

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

$0.87 ฿29.36

$0.51 ¥3.39

70.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.63

$0.26 ¥1.72

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.51 ¥10.04

69.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.28 ¥15.17

61.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.85 ¥12.26

-10.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.24

$1.49 ¥9.87

-2.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.99 ¥6.56

51.52%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.61 ¥10.68

29.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$14.31 ¥95.0

33.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.64 ¥24.20

-9.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.02 ¥73.2

-1.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.90 ¥12.59

54.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.39 ¥9.21

21.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.04 ¥6.89

116.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿69.9

$1.20 ¥7.96

73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.74 ¥4.90

104.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.45

$0.69 ¥4.56

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.90

$0.64 ¥4.22

67.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.48

$0.58 ¥3.83

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.69 ¥24.49

13.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$4.37 ¥29.03

329.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.84 ¥5.57

116.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.48 ¥9.80

91.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$0.29 ¥1.92

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$25.23 ¥168

124.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.33 ¥8.82

127.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.28

$0.31 ¥2.07

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$4.37 ¥29.02

-15.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.27 ¥8.47

15.75%

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

$26.8K ฿902.1K

$19.6K ¥130.5K

36.29%

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

$26.7K ฿899.2K

$18.0K ¥119.9K

47.89%

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

$96.4 ฿3,246

$46.65 ¥310

106.54%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.40 ¥62.5

19.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$12.87 ¥85.5

30.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,265

$27.11 ¥180

147.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$11.21 ¥74.4

-4.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.17 ¥40.95

21.56%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$1,161 ¥7,711

-59.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.5K

$15.3K ¥101.3K

-26.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,101

$25.36 ¥168

145.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$27.52 ¥183

3.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,177

$57.1 ¥379

65.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,891

$53.2 ¥353

61.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$425 ¥2,824

68.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$231 ¥1,537

112.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$755 ¥5,017

155.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$478 ¥3,172

199.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$3,476 ¥23.1K

20.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,845 ¥12.3K

64.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,278 ¥8,487

-60.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.38

64.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Chengdu

$231 31.9% 52.9% $259

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Chengdu

$195 26.8% 26.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Chengdu

$69 9.5% 44.6% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chengdu

$73 10.1% 39.8% $48

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chengdu

$89 12.3% 26.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Chengdu

$39 5.4% 52% $43

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Chengdu

$29 4% 58.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $425 in Chengdu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chengdu are about 2.5 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 $22 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $195 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

01:12 1:12 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CNY = 0.151 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 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Chengdu 2,600 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $726 in Chengdu – Chengdu comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,090 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $425 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $22 in Chengdu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $726 in Chengdu. That makes Chengdu about 43% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chengdu, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Chengdu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $726 in Chengdu to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Chengdu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 43% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.