Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lhasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lhasa: $738 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Lhasa
Learn more

Lhasa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Lhasa

🇨🇳 China

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lhasa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $738 in Lhasa.

Phuket $1,278
Lhasa $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,194 in Lhasa.

Phuket $2,216
Lhasa $1,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,649 in Lhasa.

Phuket $3,154
Lhasa $1,649

Living in Phuket is roughly 73% more expensive than in Lhasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Lhasa 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.37 ¥29.06

2.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$30.36 ¥202

6.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.38 ¥49.11

19.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.81 ¥18.67

0.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.43 ¥2.88

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.31 ¥2.05

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.48 ¥9.85

72.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.08 ¥13.84

76.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.80 ¥11.96

-7.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.65 ¥11.00

-11.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.01 ¥6.73

48.51%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.58 ¥10.54

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$7.00 ¥46.59

172.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.04 ¥20.23

8.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.15 ¥74.2

-2.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.83 ¥12.16

60.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.34 ¥8.90

26.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.56 ¥10.41

44.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.33 ¥8.86

56.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.70 ¥4.65

115.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.95 ¥6.34

45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.59 ¥3.93

81.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.59 ¥3.96

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.84 ¥25.58

9.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$11.23 ¥74.7

67.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.84 ¥5.62

116.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.61 ¥10.71

76.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.31 ¥2.06

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$18.27 ¥122

210.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.47 ¥9.81

105.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.32 ¥2.16

218.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$7.33 ¥48.81

-49.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.31 ¥8.71

12.21%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$19.2K ¥127.8K

39.46%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$17.7K ¥117.7K

50.95%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$56.5 ¥376

70.50%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.54 ¥56.8

31.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$11.23 ¥74.7

50.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$42.42 ¥282

58.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$15.12 ¥101

-29.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.33 ¥42.15

18.48%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$434 ¥2,885

9.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$17.8K ¥118.6K

-36.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$42.74 ¥284

45.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$33.30 ¥222

-14.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$75.4 ¥502

25.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$76.4 ¥508

12.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$287 ¥1,910

149.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$189 ¥1,256

160.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$598 ¥3,978

222.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$373 ¥2,482

283.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$3,221 ¥21.4K

29.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,933 ¥12.9K

57.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,079 ¥13.8K

-75.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.36

65.77%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lhasa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Lhasa

$189 25.6% 61.6% $302

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Lhasa

$188 25.5% 29.4% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Lhasa

$76 10.3% 38.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lhasa

$103 13.9% 15.9% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lhasa

$105 14.3% 13.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Lhasa

$55 7.5% 33% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Lhasa

$23 3.1% 68% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $287 in Lhasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lhasa pays about 4.1 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 $30 in Lhasa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $188 per month, with Lhasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Lhasa

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

867,891

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Lhasa 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lhasa

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 Lhasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $738 in Lhasa, so Lhasa is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 76% 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 $287 in Lhasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lhasa – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $738 in Lhasa versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lhasa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Lhasa 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 Lhasa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.