Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cixi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $709 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
Learn more

Cixi Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cixi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $709 in Cixi.

Phuket $1,208
Cixi $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,125 in Cixi.

Phuket $2,027
Cixi $1,125

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,542 in Cixi.

Phuket $2,845
Cixi $1,542

Living in Phuket is roughly 70% more expensive than in Cixi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Cixi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.75 ¥18.38

60.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$21.47 ¥144

50.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.78 ¥31.99

83.26%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.98 ¥19.94

-5.03%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.43 ¥2.88

109.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.29 ¥1.94

62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.94 ¥6.30

171.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.12 ¥14.19

80.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.87 ¥12.50

-7.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.57 ¥10.48

-6.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.97 ¥6.51

55.67%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.54 ¥10.30

40.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.61 ¥84.3

56.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.12 ¥20.89

7.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.08 ¥67.4

10.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.81 ¥12.10

57.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.25 ¥8.36

36.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.54 ¥10.30

42.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.09 ¥7.29

88.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.70 ¥4.65

107.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.94 ¥6.30

46.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.59 ¥3.96

81.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.54 ¥3.63

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.05 ¥20.39

39.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.52 ¥70.3

76.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.74 ¥4.93

140.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.64 ¥10.96

73.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.29 ¥1.96

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$16.43 ¥110

34.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.43 ¥9.54

110.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.36 ¥2.38

194.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$6.57 ¥43.90

-41.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.13 ¥7.54

28.32%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.1K ¥127.9K

37.64%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.4K ¥116.5K

54.61%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$45.68 ¥305

110.99%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.85 ¥65.8

12.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$11.86 ¥79.3

44.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$41.22 ¥276

26.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.86 ¥92.7

-19.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.82 ¥38.92

34.19%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$334 ¥2,231

66.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$16.5K ¥110.6K

-29.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$42.93 ¥287

49.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$30.21 ¥202

-5.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$71.7 ¥479

33.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$72.1 ¥482

22.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$280 ¥1,875

162.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$190 ¥1,268

143.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$590 ¥3,942

255.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$358 ¥2,394

235.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,020 ¥20.2K

15.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,070 ¥13.8K

21.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Cixi: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Cixi

$190 26.7% 59% $273

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Cixi

$197 27.8% 26.6% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Cixi

$67 9.5% 45.9% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Cixi

$98 13.8% 21.5% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Cixi

$84 11.8% 30.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Cixi

$53 7.5% 22% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Cixi

$21 2.9% 47.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $280 in Cixi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $21.00 in Cixi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $197 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Cixi

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

11:37 11:37 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,829,488

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cixi 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cixi

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 Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cixi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,064 in Cixi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $280 in Cixi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $334 in Cixi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Cixi versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Cixi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cixi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $709 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cixi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Cixi 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 Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.