Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Longyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Longyan: $465 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Longyan, China
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Longyan
🇨🇳 China
$465
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Longyan

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $465 in Longyan, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Longyan $465

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $754 in Longyan, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Longyan $754

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,044 in Longyan, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Longyan $1,044

Phuket costs about 175% more than Longyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Longyan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Longyan 66% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Longyan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$2.94 ¥19.51
52.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$22.79 ¥151
42.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$4.93 ¥32.77
78.70%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$2.29 ¥15.22
23.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$0.44 ¥2.91
97.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$0.29 ¥1.95
68.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$0.87 ¥5.76
194.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$1.63 ¥10.81
125.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Longyan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$2.01 ¥13.33
-17.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$1.47 ¥9.75
-0.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$0.77 ¥5.12
94.81%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.52 ¥10.08
37.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$7.62 ¥50.7
150.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$2.19 ¥14.56
50.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$9.46 ¥62.9
15.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$1.84 ¥12.22
59.24%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$1.33 ¥8.87
27.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.78 ¥11.80
26.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$1.08 ¥7.21
92.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.91 ¥6.04
65.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$1.01 ¥6.70
36.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$0.47 ¥3.12
127.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.51 ¥3.41
1.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$3.44 ¥22.84
22.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$12.20 ¥81.1
54.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$0.77 ¥5.10
136.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$1.22 ¥8.13
132.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Longyan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
$0.15 ¥1.00
866.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.02 ¥6.78
196.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$0.51 ¥3.37
100.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$7.38 ¥49.03
-50.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$1.33 ¥8.86
10.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
$19.5K ¥129.5K
37.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$15.6K ¥103.7K
71.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Longyan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$67.6 ¥449
42.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$15.77 ¥105
-28.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$8.78 ¥58.4
91.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Longyan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$4.39 ¥29.16
144.42%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$7.56 ¥50.3
-0.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Longyan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$213 ¥1,417
123.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$11.9K ¥79.3K
-5.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Longyan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$29.53 ¥196
111.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$15.14 ¥101
87.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$73.7 ¥490
27.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$98.6 ¥655
-12.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Longyan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$370 ¥2,459
420.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$1,375 ¥9,136
121.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Longyan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$492 ¥3,266
2.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.46
60.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Longyan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Longyan
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Longyan
$179 32.7% $87
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Longyan
$92 26% $32
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Longyan
$98 19.9% $24
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Longyan
$76 37.3% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Longyan
$15 * 81.6% $67
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Longyan
$4.2 * 94.1% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $23 in Longyan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $179 – making Longyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇨🇳 Longyan
🕒 Local time
12:14 12:14 PM
13:14 1:14 PM
1 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
2,559,545
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Longyan 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Longyan

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 Longyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phuket and in Longyan compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $465 in Longyan – Longyan comes out roughly 64% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Longyan?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $697 in Longyan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $23 in Longyan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 49% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Longyan, where all-in costs run around $465, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Longyan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Phuket and Longyan?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $465 in Longyan to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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