Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Keelung

For one person, living is cheaper in Keelung: $978 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Keelung
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Keelung Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Keelung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Keelung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $978 in Keelung.

Phuket $1,207
Keelung $978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,717 in Keelung.

Phuket $2,037
Keelung $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,457 in Keelung.

Phuket $2,867
Keelung $2,457

Living in Phuket is roughly 23% more expensive than in Keelung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Keelung 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$4.65 NT$151

-1.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$31.92 NT$1,035

1.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.85 NT$157

76.29%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.85 NT$92.4

-4.56%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.03 NT$33.31

-8.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.73 NT$23.60

-32.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.54 NT$50.1

68.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.81 NT$91.1

36.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$3.24 NT$105

-46.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.39 NT$45.01

2.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.12 NT$36.44

36.61%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.22 NT$72.1

-2.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$29.36 NT$952

-34.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$5.83 NT$189

-43.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$17.08 NT$554

-34.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$4.35 NT$141

-32.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.89 NT$61.4

-11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.02 NT$98.0

-23.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.16 NT$70.1

-1.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.19 NT$38.69

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.90 NT$61.6

-28.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.42 NT$78.5

-53.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.91 NT$29.60

-39.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.76 NT$122

13.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$9.24 NT$300

96.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.09 NT$35.21

59.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.56 NT$83.0

8.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.64 NT$20.87

246.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$63.7 NT$2,064

-65.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.61 NT$84.7

11.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.96 NT$31.16

5.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$9.61 NT$311

-60.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.03 NT$33.31

44.66%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$33.3K NT$1.1M

-19.90%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$23.0K NT$744.6K

16.33%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$41.52 NT$1,346

139.33%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$15.14 NT$491

-25.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$11.07 NT$359

56.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$34.14 NT$1,107

53.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$32.11 NT$1,041

-66.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.92 NT$257

-4.42%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$336 NT$10.9K

66.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$16.9K NT$546.4K

-31.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$73.0 NT$2,368

-13.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$36.15 NT$1,172

-20.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$47.16 NT$1,529

103.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$31.66 NT$1,027

178.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$401 NT$13.0K

82.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$254 NT$8,247

80.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$978 NT$31.7K

114.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$731 NT$23.7K

67.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$3,385 NT$109.8K

2.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,352 NT$76.3K

5.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$2,436 NT$79.0K

-79.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.27

145.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Keelung: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Keelung

$254 26% 44.7% $206

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Keelung

$341 34.9% 27.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Keelung

$68 6.9% 47.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Keelung

$85 8.7% 31.8% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Keelung

$106 10.9% 12.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Keelung

$50 5.1% 25.9% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Keelung

$74 7.5% 89.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $401 in Keelung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keelung pays 394% 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 $32.00 in Keelung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $341 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇼 Keelung

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

00:40 12:40 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

372,100

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Keelung 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Keelung

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 Keelung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Keelung differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $978 including rent). Keelung is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 394% lower in Keelung. 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 $401 in Keelung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Keelung – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $978 in Keelung versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Keelung but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Keelung 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Keelung 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 Keelung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.