Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $914 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
Learn more

Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$914

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $914 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Guangzhou (Canton) $914

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,442 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,442

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,971 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,971

Phuket costs about 40% more than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Guangzhou (Canton) are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Guangzhou (Canton) 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.03 ¥20.16

47.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$29.73 ¥198

9.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.36 ¥35.66

64.37%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.19 ¥21.21

-11.29%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.54 ¥3.60

61.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.36 ¥2.43

36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.31 ¥8.74

95.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.75 ¥18.30

33.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.87 ¥12.46

-11.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.92 ¥12.77

-23.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.10 ¥7.30

36.36%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.56 ¥10.40

33.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$16.83 ¥112

13.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.18 ¥34.46

-36.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.00 ¥79.9

-9.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.22 ¥14.77

31.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.25 ¥8.33

35.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.45 ¥9.64

55.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.72 ¥11.43

20.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.95 ¥6.30

58.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.21 ¥8.07

14.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.84 ¥5.58

27.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.71 ¥4.74

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.91 ¥26.05

7.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.86 ¥72.3

73.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.02 ¥6.80

78.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.93 ¥12.82

47.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.44 ¥2.92

229.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$18.29 ¥122

209.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.77 ¥11.76

70.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.40 ¥2.66

155.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.21 ¥48.01

-48.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.37 ¥9.11

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.7K ¥131.3K

35.76%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$17.8K ¥118.7K

49.66%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$60.4 ¥402

59.60%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.16 ¥108

-30.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$14.47 ¥96.3

16.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$70.9 ¥472

-5.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$12.27 ¥81.7

-12.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.53 ¥43.43

14.85%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,612 ¥10.7K

-70.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$24.7K ¥164.3K

-54.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$48.97 ¥326

27.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$40.73 ¥271

-30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$82.1 ¥546

14.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$71.3 ¥474

20.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$509 ¥3,386

40.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$270 ¥1,794

82.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,224 ¥8,144

57.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$500 ¥3,330

185.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$8,271 ¥55.0K

-49.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,705 ¥24.7K

-17.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,269 ¥8,443

-60.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.38

64.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$270 29.5% 45.1% $221

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$242 26.5% 9.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$91 10% 26.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 12% 10.3% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$94 10.3% 22.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$84 9.2% 2% $1.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$24 2.6% 66.3% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $509 in Guangzhou (Canton). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Guangzhou (Canton) are about 2.5 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $30 in Guangzhou (Canton). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $242 – making Guangzhou (Canton) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

00:47 12:47 AM

01:47 1:47 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

14,043,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Guangzhou (Canton) 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,371 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $509 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $914 in Guangzhou (Canton). That’s a gap of about 40%.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Guangzhou (Canton). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Guangzhou (Canton), where all-in costs run around $914, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Guangzhou (Canton) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $914 in Guangzhou (Canton) to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Guangzhou (Canton) is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 40% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.