Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Datong

For one person, living is cheaper in Datong: $709 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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 Datong
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Datong Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Datong

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Datong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $709 in Datong.

Phuket $1,278
Datong $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,127 in Datong.

Phuket $2,216
Datong $1,127

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,545 in Datong.

Phuket $3,154
Datong $1,545

Living in Phuket is roughly 80% more expensive than in Datong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Datong 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.74 ¥18.23

63.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$21.65 ¥144

49.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.98 ¥33.15

76.91%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.95 ¥19.65

-4.07%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.46 ¥3.08

89.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.27 ¥1.77

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$0.88 ¥5.88

190.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.03 ¥13.50

81.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.80 ¥11.99

-7.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.55 ¥10.28

-5.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.96 ¥6.36

56.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.61 ¥10.71

29.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$13.09 ¥87.1

45.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.23 ¥21.48

2.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.09 ¥67.1

8.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.81 ¥12.01

61.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.20 ¥8.01

40.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.50 ¥9.98

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.14 ¥7.57

82.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.73 ¥4.87

106.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.92 ¥6.12

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.56 ¥3.70

91.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.51 ¥3.42

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.10 ¥20.62

35.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.40 ¥69.2

80.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.76 ¥5.05

139.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.64 ¥10.91

73.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.27 ¥1.77

437.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$16.53 ¥110

242.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.41 ¥9.35

114.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.35 ¥2.35

191.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$6.70 ¥44.58

-44.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.17 ¥7.80

25.64%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$19.4K ¥129.2K

37.96%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$17.2K ¥114.2K

55.56%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$45.68 ¥304

110.92%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.63 ¥64.1

16.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$11.68 ¥77.8

44.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$41.21 ¥274

63.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$13.73 ¥91.4

-21.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.87 ¥39.05

27.77%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$337 ¥2,243

41.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$17.0K ¥113.2K

-33.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$43.28 ¥288

44.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$30.52 ¥203

-6.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$72.2 ¥480

30.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$72.7 ¥484

17.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$274 ¥1,821

161.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$189 ¥1,257

159.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$594 ¥3,955

224.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$358 ¥2,383

299.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$3,019 ¥20.1K

38.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$2,019 ¥13.4K

50.77%

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 Datong: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Datong

$189 26.6% 61.5% $302

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Datong

$198 27.9% 25.8% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Datong

$67 9.5% 46.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Datong

$98 13.9% 19.3% $23

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Datong

$84 11.8% 31.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Datong

$53 7.5% 35.6% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Datong

$21 2.9% 70.6% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $274 in Datong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $22 in Datong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $198 per month, with Datong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Datong

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

09:20 9:20 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,318,057

💱 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 Datong 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Datong

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 Datong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Datong wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Datong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,064 in Datong 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: $716 in Phuket versus $274 in Datong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $337 in Datong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $709 in Datong versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Datong but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Datong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Datong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.