Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kinmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kinmen: $1,069 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Kinmen
Learn more

Kinmen Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kinmen

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,069

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kinmen

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,069 in Kinmen, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Kinmen $1,069

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,808 in Kinmen, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Kinmen $1,808

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,548 in Kinmen, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Kinmen $2,548

Phuket costs about 20% more than Kinmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Kinmen are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Kinmen 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.72 NT$153

-5.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$30.66 NT$993

5.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.97 NT$161

77.26%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.94 NT$95.3

-3.74%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.89 NT$28.95

-2.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.70 NT$22.71

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.73 NT$56.0

47.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.40 NT$77.8

53.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.94 NT$95.3

-43.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.78 NT$57.6

-17.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.83 NT$91.5

-47.00%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.68 NT$86.9

-22.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$19.11 NT$619

-0.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.93 NT$257

-58.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$20.63 NT$668

-47.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$4.11 NT$133

-28.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.40 NT$77.7

-29.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.89 NT$93.6

-22.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.17 NT$103

-34.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.65 NT$85.8

-43.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.03 NT$65.6

-32.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.16 NT$69.8

-50.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.03 NT$33.35

-49.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.79 NT$123

10.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$11.63 NT$377

61.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.59 NT$51.5

14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.21 NT$71.5

28.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.59 NT$19.08

145.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$33.25 NT$1,077

70.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.66 NT$86.1

13.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.74 NT$23.91

37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$9.47 NT$307

-61.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.03 NT$33.31

42.72%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$35.4K NT$1.1M

-24.30%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$23.1K NT$746.8K

15.73%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$87.0 NT$2,817

10.76%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.11 NT$554

-34.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$22.39 NT$725

-24.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$35.98 NT$1,165

86.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.13 NT$328

-25.96%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$565 NT$18.3K

-15.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$16.5K NT$535.0K

-31.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$61.8 NT$2,003

0.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$31.20 NT$1,010

-8.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$81.6 NT$2,642

15.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$102 NT$3,291

-15.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$414 NT$13.4K

72.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$253 NT$8,188

94.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,053 NT$34.1K

82.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$722 NT$23.4K

98.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$7,706 NT$249.5K

-45.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$4,832 NT$156.5K

-36.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.39

133.05%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kinmen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kinmen

$253 23.7% 48.5% $238

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kinmen

$359 33.6% 34.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kinmen

$126 11.8% 1.6% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kinmen

$124 11.6% 2% $2.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kinmen

$108 10.1% 11.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kinmen

$56 5.3% 31.6% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kinmen

$42 3.9% 40.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $414 in Kinmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $31 in Kinmen. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $359 in Kinmen – so Phuket wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇼 Kinmen

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

17:39 5:39 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

12,568

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 32.38 TWD (100 TWD = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 36.14 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kinmen 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kinmen

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 Kinmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,603 in Kinmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kinmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $565 in Kinmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 26% cheaper in Phuket – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,069 in Kinmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,069 in Kinmen to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.