Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Heyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Heyuan

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $792 in Heyuan, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Heyuan $792

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,284 in Heyuan, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Heyuan $1,284

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,776 in Heyuan, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Heyuan $1,776

Phuket costs about 53% more than Heyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Heyuan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Heyuan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$3.06 ¥20.39

43.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,089

$29.30 ¥195

10.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$5.34 ¥35.60

64.04%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.06 ¥20.42

-7.52%

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

$0.90 ฿30.43

$0.58 ¥3.86

55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$0.34 ¥2.24

38.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$1.36 ¥9.09

87.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.75 ¥18.33

39.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$1.79 ¥11.93

-3.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.58

$1.91 ¥12.72

-23.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$1.11 ¥7.37

36.04%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.52 ¥10.17

42.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿665

$16.29 ¥109

20.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$5.14 ¥34.29

-35.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$12.23 ¥81.6

-8.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$2.29 ¥15.25

24.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.22 ¥8.16

39.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.38 ¥9.20

58.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$1.78 ¥11.86

15.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.96 ¥6.39

51.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$1.18 ¥7.90

16.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.04

$0.83 ¥5.54

28.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$0.66 ¥4.43

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$3.90 ¥25.98

9.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$10.64 ¥70.9

74.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$1.02 ¥6.77

74.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$1.90 ¥12.68

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$0.31 ¥2.09

629.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

$17.71 ¥118

24.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$1.84 ¥12.29

63.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$0.43 ¥2.88

146.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$7.19 ¥47.93

-46.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$1.33 ¥8.86

9.02%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

37.45%

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

$17.7K ¥118.3K

51.87%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$61.4 ¥409

57.07%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$16.39 ¥109

-32.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$14.49 ¥96.6

18.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$41.17 ¥275

26.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

$15.11 ¥101

-26.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$6.54 ¥43.61

19.42%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$422 ¥2,816

31.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

$24.4K ¥163.0K

-52.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$49.24 ¥328

30.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$41.47 ¥277

-30.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$81.1 ¥541

17.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$69.9 ¥466

25.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$303 ¥2,021

143.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$182 ¥1,215

153.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$623 ¥4,155

236.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$375 ¥2,501

220.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

$3,487 ¥23.3K

0.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$1,937 ¥12.9K

30.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

$1,362 ¥9,082

-63.23%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Heyuan

$182 23% 60.6% $280

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Heyuan

$239 30.1% 11.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Heyuan

$92 11.6% 25.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Heyuan

$109 13.7% 12.5% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Heyuan

$93 11.8% 23.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Heyuan

$54 6.9% 20% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Heyuan

$23 2.9% 41.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $303 in Heyuan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 172% higher in Heyuan, 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $29.00 in Heyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $239 – making Heyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

22:24 10:24 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,953,019

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.93 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Heyuan 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Heyuan

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 Heyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $792 in Heyuan – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,188 in Heyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 13% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $29.00 in Heyuan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Heyuan 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 $792 in Heyuan to $1,208 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 Heyuan. 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.