Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jieyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Jieyang: $683 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Jieyang
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Jieyang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Jieyang

🇨🇳 China

$683

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jieyang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $683 in Jieyang.

Phuket $1,208
Jieyang $683

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,078 in Jieyang.

Phuket $2,027
Jieyang $1,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,474 in Jieyang.

Phuket $2,845
Jieyang $1,474

Living in Phuket is roughly 77% more expensive than in Jieyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Jieyang 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.04 ¥13.62

115.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$12.95 ¥86.6

149.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$3.79 ¥25.32

131.13%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.44 ¥16.32

15.98%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.47 ¥3.13

91.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.33 ¥2.19

42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.91 ¥6.09

180.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.75 ¥11.67

118.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.47 ¥9.82

17.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.38 ¥15.94

-38.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.99 ¥6.64

52.53%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$0.89 ¥5.94

143.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$11.86 ¥79.3

66.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.43 ¥16.23

37.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.72 ¥78.3

-4.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.95 ¥13.07

46.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.69 ¥4.59

146.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.01 ¥6.78

116.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.04 ¥13.62

0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.97 ¥6.51

49.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.74 ¥11.62

-20.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.46 ¥3.08

132.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.51 ¥3.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.90 ¥19.41

46.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$11.06 ¥73.9

67.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.84 ¥5.62

111.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.75 ¥11.72

62.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.29 ¥1.94

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$18.26 ¥122

21.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$0.93 ¥6.23

223.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.14 ¥0.94

657.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.26 ¥48.53

-46.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.93 ¥6.24

55.91%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$12.9K ¥86.4K

103.83%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$11.3K ¥75.9K

137.50%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$44.10 ¥295

118.55%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$8.85 ¥59.1

24.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$11.15 ¥74.6

53.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$41.70 ¥279

25.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.70 ¥98.3

-24.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.13 ¥41.01

27.41%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$490 ¥3,273

13.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

-52.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$21.25 ¥142

202.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$29.23 ¥195

-1.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$60.0 ¥401

59.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$87.6 ¥585

0.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$301 ¥2,014

144.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$185 ¥1,238

149.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$621 ¥4,153

237.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$378 ¥2,526

217.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,444 ¥23.0K

1.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,936 ¥12.9K

30.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,101 ¥7,360

-54.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.46

60.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Jieyang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Jieyang

$185 27.1% 59.9% $277

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Jieyang

$201 29.5% 25.1% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Jieyang

$64 9.4% 48.5% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Jieyang

$89 13.1% 28.3% $35

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Jieyang

$68 10% 43.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Jieyang

$54 7.9% 20.4% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Jieyang

$21 3.1% 46.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $301 in Jieyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jieyang pays 120% 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 $13.00 in Jieyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $201 per month, with Jieyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Jieyang

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

08:39 8:39 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,877,025

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Jieyang 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jieyang

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 Jieyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jieyang wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jieyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 120% lower in Jieyang. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $301 in Jieyang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $683 in Jieyang – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jieyang runs roughly 21% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $683 in Jieyang versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jieyang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Jieyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jieyang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $683 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jieyang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Jieyang 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 Jieyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.