Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jingmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Jingmen: $741 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Jingmen
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Jingmen Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Jingmen

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jingmen

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $741 in Jingmen, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Jingmen $741

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,215 in Jingmen, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Jingmen $1,215

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,689 in Jingmen, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Jingmen $1,689

Phuket costs about 63% more than Jingmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Jingmen are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Jingmen 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$3.08 ¥20.58

48.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$22.61 ¥151

43.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.11 ¥27.49

108.03%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.21 ¥14.76

23.08%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.43 ¥2.90

118.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.29 ¥1.92

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.86 ¥5.78

201.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.07 ¥7.17

257.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.00 ¥13.38

-13.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.79 ¥11.94

-20.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.03 ¥6.89

48.54%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.67 ¥11.15

29.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$13.15 ¥87.9

45.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.69 ¥24.66

-10.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$13.68 ¥91.4

-18.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.20 ¥14.73

34.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.20 ¥8.03

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.41 ¥9.45

63.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.11 ¥7.40

91.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.82 ¥5.51

86.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.77 ¥5.16

76.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.38 ¥2.52

194.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.43 ¥2.89

27.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.53 ¥43.65

-34.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$14.67 ¥98.1

23.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.75 ¥5.00

132.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.04 ¥13.61

36.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.32 ¥2.14

593.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$19.67 ¥132

12.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.47 ¥9.82

97.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.29 ¥1.91

248.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.34 ¥29.03

-11.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.07 ¥7.17

39.25%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.7K ¥131.5K

35.62%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$16.8K ¥112.5K

58.78%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$57.6 ¥385

72.46%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$7.52 ¥50.3

50.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$11.70 ¥78.3

48.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$44.91 ¥300

16.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$12.76 ¥85.3

-14.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$5.35 ¥35.74

41.50%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$375 ¥2,505

49.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$11.9K ¥79.3K

-3.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$54.4 ¥363

15.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$33.37 ¥223

-14.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$60.6 ¥405

58.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$113 ¥756

-22.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$277 ¥1,850

163.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$170 ¥1,134

171.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$664 ¥4,438

215.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$396 ¥2,648

208.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,203 ¥21.4K

8.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,196 ¥14.7K

13.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.31

68.28%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Jingmen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Jingmen

$170 22.9% 63.1% $290

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Jingmen

$225 30.3% 16% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Jingmen

$77 10.4% 40% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Jingmen

$118 15.9% 5.2% $6.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Jingmen

$73 9.8% 40% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Jingmen

$56 7.5% 17.5% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Jingmen

$24 3.2% 38.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $277 in Jingmen. 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 $23.00 in Jingmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $225 – making Jingmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Jingmen

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

17:16 5:16 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,873,687

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Jingmen 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jingmen

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 Jingmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,207 in Phuket, $741 in Jingmen – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,112 in Jingmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $558 per month in Phuket and $375 in Jingmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jingmen, where all-in costs run around $741, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Jingmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $741 in Jingmen to $1,207 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Jingmen. 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.