Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hsinchu

For one person, living is cheaper in Hsinchu: $1,140 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Hsinchu
Learn more

Hsinchu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Hsinchu

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hsinchu

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,140 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Hsinchu $1,140

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,917 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Hsinchu $1,917

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,693 in Hsinchu, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Hsinchu $2,693

Phuket costs about 12% more than Hsinchu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Hsinchu are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Hsinchu 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.67 NT$120

21.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$27.83 NT$907

16.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.75 NT$155

85.47%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.99 NT$97.3

-5.35%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.90 NT$29.37

-3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.66 NT$21.37

-25.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.89 NT$61.7

35.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.24 NT$73.1

64.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.75 NT$89.7

-39.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.62 NT$52.9

-9.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.35 NT$142

-65.52%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.76 NT$90.1

-24.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$35.37 NT$1,153

-46.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.92 NT$226

-52.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$20.54 NT$670

-46.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.60 NT$84.7

12.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.43 NT$79.2

-30.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.24 NT$106

-30.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.10 NT$101

-32.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.36 NT$76.9

-36.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.31 NT$75.4

-40.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.96 NT$63.9

-45.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.36 NT$44.32

-61.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.90 NT$127

7.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.08 NT$394

55.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.88 NT$61.4

-3.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.29 NT$74.6

24.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.51 NT$16.76

184.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$38.54 NT$1,257

47.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.99 NT$97.6

1.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.30 NT$9.64

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$9.82 NT$320

-62.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.01 NT$32.98

45.54%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.7K NT$1.1M

-22.89%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$23.6K NT$769.1K

13.16%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$102 NT$3,315

-5.25%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.11 NT$623

-41.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$20.66 NT$674

-18.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$51.0 NT$1,664

31.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.28 NT$335

-27.04%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$735 NT$24.0K

-35.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$16.3K NT$531.6K

-30.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$56.1 NT$1,829

11.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$34.95 NT$1,140

-18.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$75.7 NT$2,467

24.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$103 NT$3,352

-16.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$418 NT$13.6K

71.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$257 NT$8,377

91.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,100 NT$35.9K

75.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$756 NT$24.7K

89.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$6,930 NT$226.0K

-39.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$4,621 NT$150.7K

-34.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,398 NT$78.2K

-79.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.13

161.50%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hsinchu: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Hsinchu

$257 22.5% 47.7% $234

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Hsinchu

$405 35.5% 51.9% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Hsinchu

$141 12.4% 13.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hsinchu

$121 10.6% 0.5% $0.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hsinchu

$100 8.7% 18.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Hsinchu

$72 6.3% 12.9% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Hsinchu

$45 4% 36.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $418 in Hsinchu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hsinchu are about 4.8 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 $28 in Hsinchu. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $405 in Hsinchu – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇼 Hsinchu

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

453,120

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hsinchu 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hsinchu

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 Hsinchu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 12% more than Hsinchu, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,711 in Hsinchu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hsinchu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Hsinchu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $735 in Hsinchu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $1,140 in Hsinchu. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,140 in Hsinchu to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.