Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Chifeng: $719 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Chifeng
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Chifeng Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Chifeng

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chifeng

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $719 in Chifeng, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Chifeng $719

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,137 in Chifeng, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Chifeng $1,137

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,555 in Chifeng, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Chifeng $1,555

Phuket costs about 78% more than Chifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.73 ¥18.20

63.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$21.77 ¥145

48.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.83 ¥32.16

82.40%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.96 ¥19.71

-4.39%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.43 ¥2.87

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.29 ¥1.95

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$0.94 ¥6.29

172.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.14 ¥14.23

71.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.78 ¥11.82

-6.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.59 ¥10.58

-8.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.91 ¥6.04

64.84%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.61 ¥10.69

29.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.99 ¥86.5

46.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.27 ¥21.76

0.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.31 ¥68.6

5.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.81 ¥12.04

61.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.22 ¥8.09

38.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.48 ¥9.86

52.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.15 ¥7.67

80.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.74 ¥4.91

104.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.90 ¥5.97

53.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.57 ¥3.78

87.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.51 ¥3.39

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.20 ¥21.32

31.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.35 ¥68.9

81.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.74 ¥4.92

145.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.63 ¥10.87

74.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.29 ¥1.93

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$16.79 ¥112

237.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.43 ¥9.52

111.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.36 ¥2.37

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$6.67 ¥44.37

-44.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.13 ¥7.49

30.09%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$19.2K ¥127.9K

39.33%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$17.0K ¥112.9K

57.37%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$45.63 ¥304

111.15%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.91 ¥66.0

13.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$11.82 ¥78.6

42.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$42.41 ¥282

58.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$14.10 ¥93.8

-23.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.86 ¥38.98

27.99%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$329 ¥2,192

44.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$17.1K ¥113.5K

-33.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$44.42 ¥296

40.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$30.68 ¥204

-7.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$73.2 ¥487

28.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$71.8 ¥478

19.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$275 ¥1,832

160.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$195 ¥1,300

151.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$585 ¥3,894

229.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$360 ¥2,398

297.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$3,050 ¥20.3K

36.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$2,069 ¥13.8K

47.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.89

43.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chifeng: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Chifeng

$195 27.2% 60.2% $296

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Chifeng

$198 27.6% 25.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Chifeng

$67 9.4% 45.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chifeng

$99 13.8% 18.7% $23

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chifeng

$84 11.7% 31.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Chifeng

$54 7.5% 34.2% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Chifeng

$21 2.9% 70% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $275 in Chifeng. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $22 in Chifeng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $198 – making Chifeng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Chifeng

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

11:08 11:08 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,175,391

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Chifeng 4,320 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chifeng

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 Chifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,078 in Chifeng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chifeng, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $275 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $22 in Chifeng. 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 $719 in Chifeng. That makes Chifeng about 44% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chifeng, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Chifeng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chifeng – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Chifeng is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.