Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaohsiung: $1,105 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kaohsiung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,105 in Kaohsiung.

Phuket $1,278
Kaohsiung $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,796 in Kaohsiung.

Phuket $2,216
Kaohsiung $1,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,487 in Kaohsiung.

Phuket $3,154
Kaohsiung $2,487

Living in Phuket is roughly 16% more expensive than in Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kaohsiung 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.74 NT$155

-5.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$30.77 NT$1,003

5.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.60 NT$150

91.52%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.93 NT$95.4

-3.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.05 NT$34.21

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.69 NT$22.61

-28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.51 NT$49.24

69.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.39 NT$78.1

53.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.16 NT$103

-47.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.18 NT$71.1

-33.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.87 NT$93.5

-47.74%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.54 NT$82.9

-17.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$15.21 NT$496

25.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.03 NT$262

-58.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.77 NT$481

-26.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$6.40 NT$209

-54.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.79 NT$90.9

-39.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.42 NT$78.8

-7.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.02 NT$98.6

-31.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.68 NT$87.4

-43.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.97 NT$64.4

-29.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.30 NT$74.9

-53.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.02 NT$33.12

-49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.24 NT$138

-0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.44 NT$503

21.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.61 NT$52.5

13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.09 NT$68.0

35.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.62 NT$20.35

133.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.04 NT$393

370.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.64 NT$86.0

14.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.78 NT$25.48

30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.68 NT$185

-35.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.97 NT$31.78

51.55%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$37.1K NT$1.2M

-27.91%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$22.7K NT$739.4K

17.70%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$82.1 NT$2,676

17.40%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.89 NT$551

-33.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$25.27 NT$824

-33.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$39.20 NT$1,278

71.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.12 NT$330

6.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.11 NT$330

-25.82%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$448 NT$14.6K

6.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$13.7K NT$445.8K

-17.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$90.0 NT$2,935

-30.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$31.24 NT$1,019

-9.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$86.0 NT$2,805

9.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$99.3 NT$3,239

-13.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$430 NT$14.0K

66.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$301 NT$9,806

63.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$985 NT$32.1K

95.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$681 NT$22.2K

110.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,146 NT$135.2K

0.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,875 NT$93.7K

5.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,401 NT$45.7K

-64.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.56

117.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kaohsiung

$301 27.2% 38.7% $190

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kaohsiung

$355 32.1% 33.4% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kaohsiung

$124 11.3% 0.2% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kaohsiung

$138 12.5% 13.2% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kaohsiung

$106 9.6% 12.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kaohsiung

$59 5.4% 27.7% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kaohsiung

$21 1.9% 70.1% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $430 in Kaohsiung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaohsiung pays about 2.8 times 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 $31 in Kaohsiung. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $355, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

13:21 1:21 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,777,873

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kaohsiung 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kaohsiung

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 Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,105 in Kaohsiung, so Kaohsiung is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 64% 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 $430 in Kaohsiung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $448 in Kaohsiung. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kaohsiung gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Kaohsiung are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.