Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Guiyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Guiyang: $716 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Guiyang
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Guiyang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Guiyang

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Guiyang

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $716 in Guiyang, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Guiyang $716

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,134 in Guiyang, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Guiyang $1,134

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,553 in Guiyang, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Guiyang $1,553

Phuket costs about 69% more than Guiyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Guiyang are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Guiyang 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.84 ¥18.97

61.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$21.82 ¥146

48.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.78 ¥31.98

78.87%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.95 ¥19.73

-7.80%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.44 ¥2.92

113.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.29 ¥1.96

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.90 ¥6.01

187.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.07 ¥13.86

85.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.81 ¥12.10

-3.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.56 ¥10.43

-8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.97 ¥6.48

57.73%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.59 ¥10.65

36.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$12.62 ¥84.4

51.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.28 ¥21.93

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$10.06 ¥67.3

10.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.82 ¥12.14

62.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.20 ¥8.00

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.49 ¥9.99

54.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.11 ¥7.39

91.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.69 ¥4.61

121.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.91 ¥6.06

49.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.56 ¥3.71

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.52 ¥3.48

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.16 ¥21.13

34.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.37 ¥69.3

75.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.81 ¥5.40

114.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.63 ¥10.90

71.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.29 ¥1.95

665.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$16.97 ¥113

29.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.35 ¥9.03

115.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.35 ¥2.36

188.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.60 ¥44.10

-41.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.18 ¥7.90

26.27%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.2K ¥128.1K

39.25%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$17.1K ¥114.6K

55.85%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$45.97 ¥307

116.16%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$9.69 ¥64.8

16.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$11.79 ¥78.8

47.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$41.04 ¥274

27.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$13.92 ¥93.1

-22.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$6.08 ¥40.65

24.51%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$331 ¥2,211

68.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$16.7K ¥111.6K

-31.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$44.28 ¥296

42.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$30.65 ¥205

-6.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$72.0 ¥481

33.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$70.7 ¥473

24.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$278 ¥1,862

161.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$195 ¥1,307

135.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$581 ¥3,888

260.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$367 ¥2,451

233.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,040 ¥20.3K

13.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,022 ¥13.5K

23.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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 13, 2026

Last update for Guiyang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Guiyang

$195 27.3% 57.5% $265

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Guiyang

$197 27.5% 26.5% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Guiyang

$67 9.4% 47.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Guiyang

$98 13.7% 21.1% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Guiyang

$84 11.7% 30.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Guiyang

$53 7.4% 21.1% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Guiyang

$21 3% 45.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $278 in Guiyang. 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $22.00 in Guiyang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $197 – making Guiyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Guiyang

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

13:27 1:27 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,324,561

💱 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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Between locations

Phuket Guiyang 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Guiyang

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 Guiyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,207 in Phuket, $716 in Guiyang – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,074 in Guiyang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guiyang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $331 in Guiyang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Guiyang, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Guiyang 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 $716 in Guiyang to $1,207 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Guiyang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.