Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,041 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chiayi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,041 in Chiayi.

Phuket $1,278
Chiayi $1,041

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,471 in Chiayi.

Phuket $2,216
Chiayi $1,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,901 in Chiayi.

Phuket $3,154
Chiayi $1,901

Living in Phuket is roughly 23% more expensive than in Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Chiayi 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.59 NT$150

-2.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$46.34 NT$1,511

-30.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.65 NT$184

55.93%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.29 NT$107

-13.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.85 NT$27.72

2.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.67 NT$21.81

-26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.98 NT$97.2

-14.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.58 NT$117

2.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.95 NT$96.2

-43.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.95 NT$63.5

-25.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.05 NT$99.5

-50.82%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.63 NT$85.8

-20.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$18.97 NT$619

0.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.89 NT$322

-66.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$21.28 NT$694

-48.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.72 NT$154

-37.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.28 NT$107

-48.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.87 NT$93.5

-21.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.23 NT$138

-50.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.65 NT$86.2

-43.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.20 NT$71.6

-37.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.72 NT$56.1

-37.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.12 NT$36.48

-53.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.75 NT$122

12.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.48 NT$146

319.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.58 NT$51.4

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.13 NT$69.5

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.12 NT$395

367.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.54 NT$82.8

18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.45 NT$14.70

126.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.97 NT$292

-58.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.00 NT$32.62

47.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-21.40%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$23.5K NT$765.9K

13.63%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$64.7 NT$2,108

49.01%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.55 NT$572

-35.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$26.76 NT$872

-37.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$30.55 NT$996

120.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.62 NT$314

-22.04%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$712 NT$23.2K

-33.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$16.1K NT$525.9K

-30.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$62.2 NT$2,027

0.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.01 NT$1,272

-27.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$82.8 NT$2,698

13.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$102 NT$3,317

-15.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$374 NT$12.2K

91.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$244 NT$7,940

101.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,070 NT$100.1K

36.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,843 NT$60.1K

65.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,038 NT$66.4K

-75.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.4

132.08%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Chiayi

$244 23.4% 50.4% $247

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Chiayi

$372 35.7% 39.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Chiayi

$109 10.5% 12.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chiayi

$129 12.4% 5.5% $6.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chiayi

$121 11.7% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Chiayi

$50 4.8% 39.5% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 76% $54

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $374 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays about 4.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $46 in Chiayi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $372 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

10:23 10:23 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

269,874

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Chiayi 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chiayi

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 Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $374 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,041 in Chiayi – Chiayi is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Chiayi runs roughly 79% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Chiayi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Chiayi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.