Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nanchong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanchong: $685 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Nanchong
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Nanchong Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Nanchong

🇨🇳 China

$685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nanchong

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $685 in Nanchong, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Nanchong $685

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,106 in Nanchong, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Nanchong $1,106

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,527 in Nanchong, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Nanchong $1,527

Phuket costs about 86% more than Nanchong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Nanchong are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Nanchong 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.77 ¥11.75

152.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$22.40 ¥149

44.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.91 ¥19.34

202.75%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.09 ¥13.87

35.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.43 ¥2.86

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.29 ¥1.92

68.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.18 ¥7.82

116.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.85 ¥12.28

98.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.02 ¥13.44

-17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.64 ¥10.88

-10.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.61 ¥4.03

145.90%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.16 ¥14.37

-3.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$17.80 ¥118

7.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.41 ¥22.67

-3.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.11 ¥67.2

7.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.54 ¥10.26

90.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.30 ¥8.64

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.20 ¥8.00

87.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.27 ¥8.45

63.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.66 ¥4.42

128.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.00 ¥6.66

38.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.84 ¥5.55

27.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.61 ¥4.08

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.06 ¥20.33

37.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.05 ¥60.1

107.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.83 ¥5.49

119.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.71 ¥11.35

66.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.32 ¥2.10

353.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$17.36 ¥115

226.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.48 ¥9.84

104.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.29 ¥1.92

251.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.98 ¥19.79

23.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.26 ¥8.38

16.67%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$19.2K ¥127.4K

39.65%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$17.1K ¥113.9K

55.78%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$44.65 ¥297

115.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.13 ¥47.35

57.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$7.28 ¥48.34

131.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$42.05 ¥279

59.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.76 ¥91.4

-22.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.07 ¥40.34

23.56%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$293 ¥1,949

62.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$25.0K ¥166.2K

-54.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$39.28 ¥261

58.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$30.15 ¥200

-5.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$66.1 ¥439

42.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$63.6 ¥422

35.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$288 ¥1,914

148.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$185 ¥1,230

165.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$614 ¥4,080

213.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$365 ¥2,427

291.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,027 ¥20.1K

37.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,984 ¥13.2K

53.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.34

66.77%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nanchong: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Nanchong

$185 27% 62.3% $306

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Nanchong

$216 31.5% 19.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Nanchong

$59 8.6% 52.6% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nanchong

$90 13.1% 26.5% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nanchong

$60 8.8% 50.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Nanchong

$54 7.9% 34.1% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Nanchong

$22 3.1% 69.5% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $288 in Nanchong. 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 in Phuket versus $22 in Nanchong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $216 – making Nanchong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Nanchong

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

15:01 3:01 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,607,565

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Nanchong 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nanchong

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 Nanchong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $685 in Nanchong – Nanchong comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,028 in Nanchong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanchong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $293 in Nanchong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nanchong, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Nanchong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nanchong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Nanchong is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 46% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.