Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jiamusi

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiamusi: $714 a month against $1,208 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 Jiamusi
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Jiamusi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Jiamusi

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jiamusi

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $714 in Jiamusi, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Jiamusi $714

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,128 in Jiamusi, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Jiamusi $1,128

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,542 in Jiamusi, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Jiamusi $1,542

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.71 ¥18.10

62.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$21.32 ¥143

51.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.01 ¥33.52

74.85%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.00 ¥20.06

-5.67%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.43 ¥2.90

109.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.29 ¥1.96

62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.95 ¥6.36

168.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.14 ¥14.29

78.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.78 ¥11.90

-2.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.56 ¥10.40

-5.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.89 ¥5.96

69.66%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.55 ¥10.37

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$13.06 ¥87.3

50.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.27 ¥21.85

2.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.11 ¥67.6

10.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.87 ¥12.50

52.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.20 ¥8.05

41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.49 ¥9.99

46.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.10 ¥7.37

86.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.71 ¥4.71

104.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.91 ¥6.06

51.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.60 ¥4.01

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.52 ¥3.45

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.19 ¥21.35

33.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.63 ¥71.1

74.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.74 ¥4.93

140.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.65 ¥11.05

72.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.29 ¥1.94

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$16.75 ¥112

31.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.37 ¥9.19

119.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.36 ¥2.37

194.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$6.57 ¥43.90

-41.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.18 ¥7.86

22.88%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.1K ¥127.8K

37.72%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.0K ¥113.9K

58.13%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$44.83 ¥300

114.99%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.97 ¥66.7

10.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$11.56 ¥77.3

48.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$42.41 ¥284

23.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.90 ¥93.0

-19.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.80 ¥38.76

34.66%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$328 ¥2,193

69.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$17.0K ¥113.4K

-31.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$43.85 ¥293

46.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$29.95 ¥200

-4.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$71.0 ¥475

34.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$71.0 ¥475

23.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$278 ¥1,857

165.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$193 ¥1,291

139.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$581 ¥3,881

260.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$356 ¥2,381

237.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,064 ¥20.5K

13.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,042 ¥13.7K

23.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Jiamusi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Jiamusi

$193 27% 58.2% $269

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Jiamusi

$198 27.7% 26.4% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Jiamusi

$66 9.3% 46.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Jiamusi

$97 13.6% 21.9% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Jiamusi

$85 11.9% 30.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Jiamusi

$54 7.6% 20.3% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Jiamusi

$21 3% 46.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $278 in Jiamusi. 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 $21.00 in Jiamusi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $198 – making Jiamusi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Jiamusi

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

10:54 10:54 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,156,505

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Jiamusi 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jiamusi

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 Jiamusi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,071 in Jiamusi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $328 in Jiamusi. 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jiamusi, where all-in costs run around $714, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Jiamusi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Jiamusi. 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.