Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hohhot

For one person, living is cheaper in Hohhot: $726 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Hohhot
Learn more

Hohhot Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Hohhot

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hohhot

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $726 in Hohhot, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Hohhot $726

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,134 in Hohhot, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Hohhot $1,134

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,542 in Hohhot, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Hohhot $1,542

Phuket costs about 76% more than Hohhot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Hohhot are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Hohhot 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.28 ¥21.77

36.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$22.58 ¥150

43.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.86 ¥58.9

-0.56%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.54 ¥23.53

-20.06%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.48 ¥3.22

81.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.28 ¥1.83

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.21 ¥8.04

111.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.99 ¥13.21

84.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.26 ¥15.04

-26.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.33 ¥8.84

9.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.19 ¥7.88

26.05%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.47 ¥9.77

42.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.26 ¥88.1

43.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.14 ¥20.84

5.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.92 ¥85.9

-15.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.03 ¥13.48

44.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.27 ¥8.42

33.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.77 ¥11.75

27.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.69 ¥4.62

201.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.58 ¥3.87

160.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.89 ¥5.89

55.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.62 ¥4.13

72.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.43 ¥2.86

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.68 ¥37.76

-26.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.70 ¥51.2

144.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.93 ¥6.18

95.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.84 ¥12.22

54.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.17 ¥1.13

752.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$17.65 ¥117

221.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.17 ¥7.79

158.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.21 ¥1.39

385.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.08 ¥20.49

19.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.21 ¥8.06

21.49%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$15.7K ¥104.3K

70.61%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$15.9K ¥105.5K

68.18%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$56.9 ¥378

69.24%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.26 ¥41.62

79.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$11.44 ¥76.0

47.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$33.72 ¥224

99.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.45 ¥109

-34.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.18 ¥34.44

44.79%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$408 ¥2,714

16.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$24.2K ¥160.7K

-53.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$59.4 ¥395

4.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$26.08 ¥173

8.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$82.8 ¥550

13.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$75.5 ¥502

13.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$208 ¥1,385

243.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$164 ¥1,091

198.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$341 ¥2,268

464.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$269 ¥1,788

431.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,691 ¥11.2K

146.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,145 ¥7,606

165.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$952 ¥6,328

-47.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.75

48.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hohhot: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Hohhot

$164 22.6% 66.5% $327

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Hohhot

$204 28.1% 23.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Hohhot

$75 10.3% 40% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hohhot

$110 15.1% 10% $12

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hohhot

$108 14.9% 11% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Hohhot

$44 6.1% 46.4% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Hohhot

$21 2.8% 70.9% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $208 in Hohhot. 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 90% higher in Hohhot, 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 $23 in Hohhot. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $204 – making Hohhot the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Hohhot

🕒 Local time

18:54 6:54 PM

19:54 7:54 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,446,100

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Hohhot 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Hohhot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $726 in Hohhot – Hohhot comes out roughly 43% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,088 in Hohhot. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hohhot, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $23 in Hohhot. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Hohhot, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Hohhot it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hohhot – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Hohhot is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 43% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.