Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Korla

For one person, living is cheaper in Korla: $650 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Korla
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Korla Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Korla

🇨🇳 China

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Korla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $650 in Korla.

Phuket $1,278
Korla $650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,046 in Korla.

Phuket $2,216
Korla $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,442 in Korla.

Phuket $3,154
Korla $1,442

Living in Phuket is roughly 97% more expensive than in Korla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Korla 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.06 ¥20.36

46.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.36 ¥109

98.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.13 ¥34.08

71.73%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.87 ¥19.05

-1.39%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.47 ¥3.12

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.26 ¥1.73

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.88 ¥5.82

190.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.47 ¥9.77

150.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.28 ¥8.48

29.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.91 ¥6.06

60.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.67 ¥4.46

123.88%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.53 ¥10.19

36.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.16 ¥40.91

209.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.48 ¥16.48

33.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.83 ¥65.3

10.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.04 ¥13.53

43.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.27 ¥8.42

33.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.84 ¥12.24

22.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.73 ¥4.82

184.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.54 ¥3.62

179.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.61 ¥4.09

126.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.50 ¥3.34

114.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.48 ¥3.21

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.03 ¥20.12

38.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.57 ¥70.2

77.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.14 ¥7.56

59.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.48 ¥9.85

91.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.26 ¥1.74

457.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$18.22 ¥121

210.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.34 ¥8.88

125.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.21 ¥1.39

385.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.63 ¥50.7

-51.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.19 ¥7.89

23.53%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$18.2K ¥121.2K

46.79%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$14.1K ¥93.7K

89.35%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$68.2 ¥453

41.32%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.25 ¥34.88

114.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$11.36 ¥75.5

48.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$39.34 ¥261

70.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.56 ¥90.1

-20.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.22 ¥34.71

43.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$162 ¥1,076

193.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$9,078 ¥60.3K

24.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$18.07 ¥120

245.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$21.97 ¥146

29.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$105 ¥695

-9.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$44.96 ¥299

90.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$269 ¥1,789

165.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$164 ¥1,089

199.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$650 ¥4,321

196.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$389 ¥2,587

267.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,961 ¥19.7K

41.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,938 ¥12.9K

57.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$750 ¥4,982

-33.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.39

64.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Korla: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Korla

$164 25.2% 66.6% $327

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Korla

$160 24.7% 39.8% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Korla

$85 13% 31.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Korla

$85 13.1% 30% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Korla

$85 13% 30.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Korla

$50 7.7% 39.5% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Korla

$22 3.3% 69.3% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $269 in Korla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Korla pays 49% 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 $16 in Korla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $160 per month, with Korla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Korla

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

10:30 10:30 AM

1 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

779,352

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Korla 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Korla

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 Korla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Korla wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Korla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% 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 $269 in Korla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Korla runs roughly 68% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $162 in Korla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $650 in Korla versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Korla but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Korla 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.

Expats usually find Korla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.