Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dongguan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dongguan: $815 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Dongguan
Learn more

Dongguan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Dongguan

🇨🇳 China

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dongguan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $815 in Dongguan.

Phuket $1,208
Dongguan $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,295 in Dongguan.

Phuket $2,027
Dongguan $1,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,775 in Dongguan.

Phuket $2,845
Dongguan $1,775

Living in Phuket is roughly 48% more expensive than in Dongguan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Dongguan 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.64 ¥17.64

66.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$22.83 ¥153

41.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.20 ¥34.75

68.46%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.61 ¥17.44

8.43%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.48 ¥3.18

87.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.31 ¥2.09

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.88 ¥5.90

189.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.23 ¥14.88

71.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.59 ¥10.61

8.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.63 ¥10.93

-9.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.97 ¥6.50

55.67%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.59 ¥10.66

36.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$21.14 ¥141

-6.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.28 ¥21.96

1.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.27 ¥95.4

-21.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.25 ¥15.03

26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.56 ¥10.45

8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.85 ¥12.39

18.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.49 ¥9.98

37.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.04 ¥6.95

39.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.24 ¥8.30

11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.56 ¥3.75

91.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.58 ¥3.90

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.45 ¥29.79

-4.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$12.18 ¥81.5

52.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.92 ¥6.17

93.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.76 ¥11.74

61.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.35 ¥2.37

545.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$22.38 ¥150

-1.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.18 ¥7.86

155.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.41 ¥2.75

158.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$4.44 ¥29.68

-13.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.31 ¥8.77

10.69%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

36.43%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.6K ¥117.9K

52.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$63.1 ¥422

52.86%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.11 ¥60.9

21.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$12.96 ¥86.7

32.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$51.6 ¥345

1.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$16.09 ¥108

-30.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$7.53 ¥50.3

3.72%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$531 ¥3,550

4.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$24.3K ¥162.8K

-52.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$46.78 ¥313

37.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$40.30 ¥269

-28.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$72.5 ¥485

31.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$39.04 ¥261

125.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$380 ¥2,538

94.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$219 ¥1,461

111.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$662 ¥4,423

216.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$431 ¥2,884

178.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$5,650 ¥37.8K

-38.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$3,075 ¥20.6K

-17.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$856 ¥5,725

-41.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.35

66.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dongguan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Dongguan

$219 26.8% 52.7% $244

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Dongguan

$248 30.4% 7.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Dongguan

$85 10.5% 31.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Dongguan

$89 11% 28.1% $35

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Dongguan

$80 9.8% 34% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Dongguan

$67 8.2% 1.6% $1.1

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Dongguan

$27 3.3% 31.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $380 in Dongguan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dongguan pays 71% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $23.00 in Dongguan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $248 per month, with Dongguan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Dongguan

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,254,100

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Phuket Dongguan 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dongguan

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 Dongguan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dongguan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 48% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Dongguan. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $380 in Dongguan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dongguan runs roughly 1% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $531 in Dongguan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $815 in Dongguan versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dongguan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Dongguan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Dongguan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Dongguan 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 Dongguan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.