Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kaifeng

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $500 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kaifeng

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $500 in Kaifeng.

Phuket $1,278
Kaifeng $500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $792 in Kaifeng.

Phuket $2,216
Kaifeng $792

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,083 in Kaifeng.

Phuket $3,154
Kaifeng $1,083

Living in Phuket is roughly 156% more expensive than in Kaifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kaifeng 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.85 ¥12.30

141.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$13.44 ¥89.3

141.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.12 ¥27.40

113.83%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.19 ¥14.54

29.22%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.39 ¥2.56

123.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.17 ¥1.14

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.89 ¥5.91

187.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.53 ¥10.16

140.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.57 ¥10.40

5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.54 ¥10.21

-5.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.81 ¥5.39

85.19%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.96 ¥6.39

117.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.67 ¥44.30

185.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.30 ¥15.25

43.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.21 ¥67.8

6.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$0.87 ¥5.78

236.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.97 ¥6.42

74.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.59 ¥3.94

281.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.64 ¥4.25

225.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.58 ¥3.84

160.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.67 ¥4.47

105.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.21 ¥1.39

409.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.55 ¥3.67

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.94 ¥19.56

42.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.88 ¥98.9

26.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.01 ¥6.70

80.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.01 ¥13.36

41.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.13 ¥0.87

1015.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.17 ¥7.75

158.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.15 ¥0.99

580.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.69 ¥24.50

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.27 ¥8.44

15.75%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$19.2K ¥127.3K

39.73%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$14.9K ¥99.0K

79.22%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$45.22 ¥300

113.07%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.76 ¥31.62

136.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$5.28 ¥35.07

219.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$29.67 ¥197

126.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.55 ¥70.1

1.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.82 ¥25.36

96.34%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$388 ¥2,581

22.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$31.2K ¥207.3K

-63.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$43.81 ¥291

42.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$33.96 ¥226

-16.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$71.9 ¥478

31.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$45.32 ¥301

89.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$121 ¥801

493.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$88.7 ¥589

453.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$225 ¥1,494

757.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$180 ¥1,197

693.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$580 ¥3,852

-13.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.1

79.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kaifeng: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kaifeng

$89 17.7% 81.9% $402

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kaifeng

$165 33.1% 37.9% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kaifeng

$55 11.1% 55.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kaifeng

$88 17.6% 28% $34

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kaifeng

$63 12.6% 48.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kaifeng

$37 7.5% 54.6% $45

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kaifeng

$2.4 * 0.5% 96.5% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $121 in Kaifeng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaifeng pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $13 in Kaifeng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $165 per month, with Kaifeng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

18:01 6:01 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,676,159

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kaifeng 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kaifeng

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 Kaifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaifeng wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kaifeng the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $121 in Kaifeng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $500 in Kaifeng – Kaifeng is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $500 in Kaifeng versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Kaifeng but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kaifeng the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.