Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kaifeng Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kaifeng

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $707 in Kaifeng.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,091 in Kaifeng.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,476 in Kaifeng.

Living in Phuket is roughly 74% more expensive than Kaifeng, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Kaifeng 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$2.85 ¥19.52

62.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$13.97 ¥95.7

235.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$4.20 ¥28.76

110.48%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.10 ¥14.36

42.86%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.47 ¥3.20

57.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.20 ¥1.37

85.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$1.10 ¥7.56

121.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.06 ¥14.09

75.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.84 ¥12.62

22.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.62 ¥11.07

13.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.90 ¥6.20

148.89%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.64 ¥11.26

41.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$12.86 ¥88.1

52.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$3.18 ¥21.76

14.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$10.23 ¥70.0

28.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$1.81 ¥12.39

87.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.21 ¥8.29

35.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$0.65 ¥4.44

270.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.12 ¥7.69

81.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$0.69 ¥4.71

126.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.97 ¥6.64

54.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.59 ¥4.06

72.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.55 ¥3.75

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$3.06 ¥20.98

45.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$14.42 ¥98.7

30.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.80 ¥5.46

122.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$1.57 ¥10.77

75.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.27 ¥1.84

418.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$16.39 ¥112

-29.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$1.41 ¥9.65

121.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.33 ¥2.25

203.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$6.62 ¥45.31

112.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.14 ¥7.78

18.42%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$19.4K ¥133.1K

39.85%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$16.5K ¥113.2K

99.30%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$46.78 ¥320

167.17%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$9.53 ¥65.3

42.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$11.64 ¥79.8

59.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$41.23 ¥282

49.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$14.00 ¥95.9

20.29%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$6.35 ¥43.53

44.72%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$335 ¥2,296

108.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$17.3K ¥118.3K

-9.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$43.58 ¥299

32.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$30.93 ¥212

13.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$72.8 ¥499

55.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$73.2 ¥502

17.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$273 ¥1,872

125.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$188 ¥1,288

137.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$595 ¥4,073

244.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$367 ¥2,513

306.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$3,144 ¥21.5K

20.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$1,984 ¥13.6K

33.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$635 ¥4,348

-17.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.87

37.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Kaifeng: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $273 in Kaifeng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaifeng pays 21% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $14.00 in Kaifeng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $203 per month, with Kaifeng cheaper across the board.

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 74% 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, Kaifeng earns 21% less. 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: $616 in Phuket versus $273 in Kaifeng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kaifeng – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,232 per month in Phuket versus $707 in Kaifeng – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $707 in Kaifeng versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 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 work as nomad bases, but Kaifeng delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $707 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kaifeng hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Kaifeng 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 Kaifeng gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.