Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jining

For one person, living is cheaper in Jining: $675 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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 Jining
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Jining Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Jining

🇨🇳 China

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jining

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $675 in Jining.

Phuket $1,207
Jining $675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,012 in Jining.

Phuket $2,037
Jining $1,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,349 in Jining.

Phuket $2,867
Jining $1,349

Living in Phuket is roughly 79% more expensive than in Jining, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.19 ¥14.62

109.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$16.48 ¥110

97.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.37 ¥29.21

95.65%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.51 ¥16.75

8.37%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.51 ¥3.41

84.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.31 ¥2.08

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.93 ¥6.21

178.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.61 ¥10.80

137.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.70 ¥11.35

2.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.18 ¥7.89

21.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.94 ¥6.27

62.77%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$0.96 ¥6.43

126.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$8.16 ¥54.5

134.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.87 ¥19.17

14.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$10.26 ¥68.6

8.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.45 ¥9.68

103.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.99 ¥6.61

69.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.06 ¥7.06

116.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.17 ¥7.84

82.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.61 ¥4.09

150.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.73 ¥4.89

86.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.66 ¥4.42

69.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.76 ¥5.08

-27.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.31 ¥35.50

-19.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$9.86 ¥65.9

84.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.95 ¥6.32

83.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.61 ¥10.74

73.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.31 ¥2.08

616.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$18.21 ¥122

21.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.04 ¥6.94

179.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.29 ¥1.93

248.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.60 ¥24.10

6.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.31 ¥8.77

13.74%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$19.3K ¥129.0K

38.24%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$17.6K ¥117.7K

51.79%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$60.8 ¥407

63.38%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$6.92 ¥46.30

63.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$10.47 ¥70.0

65.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$42.31 ¥283

23.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$15.20 ¥102

-28.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$4.43 ¥29.64

70.88%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$386 ¥2,578

44.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$7,427 ¥49.7K

54.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$43.12 ¥288

45.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$33.56 ¥224

-14.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$72.6 ¥485

32.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$69.8 ¥466

26.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$281 ¥1,880

159.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$182 ¥1,214

153.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$391 ¥2,615

435.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$269 ¥1,796

355.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,524 ¥23.6K

-1.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,958 ¥13.1K

27.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$592 ¥3,957

-16.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.29

69.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Jining: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Jining

$182 26.9% 60.5% $278

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Jining

$172 25.5% 35.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Jining

$78 11.6% 38.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Jining

$99 14.6% 20.5% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Jining

$72 10.6% 40.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Jining

$51 7.6% 24.1% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Jining

$22 3.3% 43.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $281 in Jining. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jining pays 20% 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 $16.00 in Jining for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $172 per month, with Jining cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Jining

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

17:16 5:16 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,357,897

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Phuket Jining 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jining

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 Jining: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jining is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Jining. 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 $281 in Jining. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $386 in Jining. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $675 in Jining versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jining but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Jining the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jining is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Jining 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 Jining gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.