Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hua-lien

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua-lien: $1,076 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
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Hua-lien Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,076 in Hua-lien.

Phuket $1,207
Hua-lien $1,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,820 in Hua-lien.

Phuket $2,037
Hua-lien $1,820

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,563 in Hua-lien.

Phuket $2,867
Hua-lien $2,563

Living in Phuket is roughly 12% more expensive than in Hua-lien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Hua-lien 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$3.99 NT$129

14.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$28.74 NT$932

13.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.28 NT$139

99.77%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.78 NT$90.3

-2.16%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.93 NT$30.01

1.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.56 NT$18.18

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.33 NT$43.12

94.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.09 NT$67.6

83.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.93 NT$95.1

-40.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.76 NT$56.9

-18.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$4.50 NT$146

-66.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.98 NT$64.1

9.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$19.63 NT$636

-2.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.20 NT$201

-46.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$25.54 NT$828

-56.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.66 NT$86.3

10.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.50 NT$80.9

-32.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.21 NT$104

-28.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.18 NT$103

-33.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.43 NT$78.7

-37.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.30 NT$74.6

-40.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.02 NT$65.5

-44.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.98 NT$31.72

-43.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.88 NT$126

9.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$12.63 NT$410

44.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.91 NT$62.1

-8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.35 NT$76.1

18.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.61 NT$19.64

263.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$36.66 NT$1,189

-39.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.08 NT$99.8

-5.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.31 NT$9.91

225.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$10.36 NT$336

-63.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$0.89 NT$28.98

67.42%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$33.7K NT$1.1M

-20.91%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$26.6K NT$862.6K

0.42%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$103 NT$3,332

-3.30%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$19.48 NT$632

-42.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$12.54 NT$407

38.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$36.61 NT$1,187

42.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$10.12 NT$328

-25.20%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$767 NT$24.9K

-27.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$16.4K NT$533.1K

-30.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$57.1 NT$1,850

10.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$36.07 NT$1,170

-20.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$79.5 NT$2,576

21.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$107 NT$3,455

-17.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$404 NT$13.1K

80.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$253 NT$8,204

81.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$985 NT$31.9K

112.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$740 NT$24.0K

65.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$7,755 NT$251.5K

-55.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$4,989 NT$161.8K

-50.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$2,940 NT$95.3K

-83.23%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Hua-lien: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Hua-lien

$253 23.5% 45% $207

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Hua-lien

$368 34.2% 37.4% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Hua-lien

$135 12.5% 5.3% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Hua-lien

$126 11.7% 1.3% $1.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Hua-lien

$95 8.8% 21.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Hua-lien

$57 5.3% 15.7% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Hua-lien

$44 4.1% 12.3% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $404 in Hua-lien. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hua-lien pays 496% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $29.00 in Hua-lien. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $368, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

105,034

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hua-lien 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hua-lien

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 Hua-lien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hua-lien the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 496% lower in Hua-lien. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $404 in Hua-lien. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 37% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hua-lien – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,076 in Hua-lien versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hua-lien but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Hua-lien the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hua-lien delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,076 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hua-lien hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Hua-lien are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hua-lien gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.