Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mianyang, Sichuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan: $645 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Mianyang, Sichuan, China
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Mianyang, Sichuan
🇨🇳 China
$645
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mianyang, Sichuan

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $645 in Mianyang, Sichuan, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Mianyang, Sichuan $645

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $997 in Mianyang, Sichuan, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Mianyang, Sichuan $997

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,349 in Mianyang, Sichuan, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Mianyang, Sichuan $1,349

Phuket costs about 98% more than Mianyang, Sichuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mianyang, Sichuan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Mianyang, Sichuan 53% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Mianyang, Sichuan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$2.92 ¥19.40
53.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$18.06 ¥120
79.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$4.84 ¥32.17
82.02%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$3.02 ¥20.06
-6.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$0.47 ¥3.13
85.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$0.28 ¥1.87
75.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$1.54 ¥10.21
66.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.31 ¥15.38
59.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Mianyang, Sichuan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.49 ¥9.88
11.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$1.51 ¥10.00
-3.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.00 ¥6.65
50.00%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.62 ¥10.79
29.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$14.17 ¥94.2
34.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$3.68 ¥24.46
-10.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$11.20 ¥74.5
-2.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$1.90 ¥12.66
54.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$1.34 ¥8.88
26.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$1.05 ¥6.97
114.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$1.16 ¥7.70
79.31%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.71 ¥4.69
112.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$0.67 ¥4.45
105.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$0.61 ¥4.07
75.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.54 ¥3.56
-3.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$3.84 ¥25.49
9.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$4.53 ¥30.11
314.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$0.82 ¥5.43
121.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$1.38 ¥9.14
105.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Mianyang, Sichuan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
$0.31 ¥2.09
367.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.06 ¥7.07
184.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$0.28 ¥1.87
264.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$4.57 ¥30.35
-19.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$1.26 ¥8.36
16.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
$19.8K ¥131.7K
35.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$17.9K ¥119.0K
49.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Mianyang, Sichuan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$47.87 ¥318
101.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$6.73 ¥44.71
67.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$12.85 ¥85.4
31.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Mianyang, Sichuan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$18.21 ¥121
269.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$5.74 ¥38.12
30.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Mianyang, Sichuan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$1,169 ¥7,769
-59.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$14.9K ¥98.8K
-24.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Mianyang, Sichuan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$25.08 ¥167
148.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$27.85 ¥185
2.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$56.3 ¥374
67.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$53.4 ¥355
60.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Mianyang, Sichuan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$222 ¥1,478
221.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$191 ¥1,270
156.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$428 ¥2,844
350.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$329 ¥2,188
334.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$1,989 ¥13.2K
109.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$1,522 ¥10.1K
100.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Mianyang, Sichuan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$741 ¥4,925
-32.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.1
79.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mianyang, Sichuan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Mianyang, Sichuan
$191 61.1% $300
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Mianyang, Sichuan
$191 28.4% $76
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Mianyang, Sichuan
$67 45.8% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Mianyang, Sichuan
$73 40% $49
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Mianyang, Sichuan
$89 26.5% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Mianyang, Sichuan
$30 63.9% $53
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Mianyang, Sichuan
$3.7 * 94.7% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $222 in Mianyang, Sichuan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 48% higher in Mianyang, Sichuan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $18 in Mianyang, Sichuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $191 – making Mianyang, Sichuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇨🇳 Mianyang, Sichuan
🕒 Local time
19:45 7:45 PM
20:45 8:45 PM
1 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
4,868,243
💱 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 Mianyang, Sichuan 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Mianyang, Sichuan

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 Mianyang, Sichuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phuket and in Mianyang, Sichuan compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $645 in Mianyang, Sichuan – Mianyang, Sichuan comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Mianyang, Sichuan?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $968 in Mianyang, Sichuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Phuket and Mianyang, Sichuan?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $222 there versus $716 in Phuket.
Which city is more expensive overall: Phuket or Mianyang, Sichuan?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $645 in Mianyang, Sichuan. That makes Mianyang, Sichuan about 50% cheaper.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Phuket and Mianyang, Sichuan?
Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $1,169 in Mianyang, Sichuan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mianyang, Sichuan, where all-in costs run around $645, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Mianyang, Sichuan 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 Mianyang, Sichuan?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $645 in Mianyang, Sichuan to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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