Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mudanjiang

For one person, living is cheaper in Mudanjiang: $736 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Mudanjiang
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Mudanjiang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Mudanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$736

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mudanjiang

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $736 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Mudanjiang $736

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,158 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Mudanjiang $1,158

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,581 in Mudanjiang, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Mudanjiang $1,581

Phuket costs about 64% more than Mudanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mudanjiang are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Mudanjiang 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.05 ¥20.43

44.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$13.31 ¥89.0

142.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.08 ¥40.66

44.08%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.74 ¥18.30

3.28%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.43 ¥2.86

109.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.29 ¥1.91

62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.05 ¥7.04

142.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.14 ¥14.33

78.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.80 ¥12.03

-3.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.64 ¥10.98

-10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.92 ¥6.17

64.13%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.61 ¥10.74

34.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$13.47 ¥90.1

46.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.43 ¥22.92

-2.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.05 ¥73.9

1.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.85 ¥12.36

54.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.31 ¥8.79

29.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.50 ¥10.00

46.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.25 ¥8.39

64.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.74 ¥4.97

95.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.89 ¥5.96

55.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.63 ¥4.24

69.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.59 ¥3.97

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.64 ¥24.34

17.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$11.69 ¥78.2

58.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.81 ¥5.45

119.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.60 ¥10.70

78.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.31 ¥2.07

629.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$17.77 ¥119

24.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.46 ¥9.78

106.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.36 ¥2.39

194.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.01 ¥46.88

-44.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.30 ¥8.67

11.54%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.7K ¥131.6K

33.77%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

57.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$58.2 ¥389

65.74%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$8.46 ¥56.6

30.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$11.09 ¥74.2

54.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$41.44 ¥277

25.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.68 ¥98.1

-23.98%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.22 ¥41.61

25.56%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$416 ¥2,782

33.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

-34.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$43.96 ¥294

46.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$33.55 ¥224

-14.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$75.6 ¥506

26.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$73.4 ¥491

19.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$303 ¥2,028

143.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$183 ¥1,223

152.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$631 ¥4,218

232.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$381 ¥2,545

215.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,508 ¥23.5K

-0.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,975 ¥13.2K

27.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Mudanjiang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Mudanjiang

$183 24.9% 60.4% $279

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Mudanjiang

$209 28.4% 22.2% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Mudanjiang

$78 10.6% 37.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Mudanjiang

$102 13.9% 18% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Mudanjiang

$88 12% 27.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Mudanjiang

$54 7.3% 20.5% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Mudanjiang

$22 3% 43.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $303 in Mudanjiang. 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $13.00 in Mudanjiang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $209 – making Mudanjiang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Mudanjiang

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

965,154

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Mudanjiang 5,070 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mudanjiang

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 Mudanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 64% more than Mudanjiang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,103 in Mudanjiang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mudanjiang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $736 in Mudanjiang. That's a gap of about 64%.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Mudanjiang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mudanjiang, where all-in costs run around $736, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Mudanjiang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mudanjiang costs $736 versus $1,208 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mudanjiang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.