Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nanjing

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanjing: $841 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Nanjing
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Nanjing Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Nanjing

🇨🇳 China

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nanjing

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $841 in Nanjing.

Phuket $1,190
Nanjing $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $1,339 in Nanjing.

Phuket $2,006
Nanjing $1,339

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $1,837 in Nanjing.

Phuket $2,822
Nanjing $1,837

Living in Phuket is roughly 41% more expensive than in Nanjing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Nanjing 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$3.67 ¥24.54

18.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$22.21 ¥148

46.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$4.97 ¥33.22

69.42%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$3.01 ¥20.12

-6.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.50 ¥3.31

74.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.27 ¥1.81

70.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.45 ¥9.66

78.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$2.29 ¥15.28

58.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$2.16 ¥14.46

-20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$2.07 ¥13.84

-29.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$0.91 ¥6.07

71.43%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$1.35 ¥9.02

55.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$10.64 ¥71.1

83.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.02 ¥20.20

12.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$8.97 ¥59.9

24.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$2.09 ¥13.95

35.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.28 ¥8.58

26.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.77 ¥11.86

25.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$1.07 ¥7.17

100.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.91 ¥6.08

63.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.90 ¥6.05

47.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$0.93 ¥6.24

15.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.52 ¥3.45

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$3.75 ¥25.05

16.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$13.34 ¥89.2

40.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.01 ¥6.72

72.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$1.56 ¥10.45

78.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$0.31 ¥2.08

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$29.72 ¥199

-25.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$1.75 ¥11.71

72.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.41 ¥2.77

158.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$8.91 ¥59.6

-58.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.37 ¥9.13

4.38%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$19.1K ¥127.8K

37.74%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$16.6K ¥110.6K

58.32%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$53.6 ¥358

80.40%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$7.59 ¥50.7

50.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$7.28 ¥48.66

135.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$28.49 ¥190

85.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$33.70 ¥225

-67.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$5.86 ¥39.15

30.55%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$1,459 ¥9,753

-61.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$22.5K ¥150.7K

-49.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$43.40 ¥290

46.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$33.88 ¥226

-15.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$65.7 ¥439

47.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$86.9 ¥581

1.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$529 ¥3,535

38.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$295 ¥1,974

55.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$1,115 ¥7,452

88.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$557 ¥3,722

113.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$5,013 ¥33.5K

-30.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$3,140 ¥21.0K

-20.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$1,419 ¥9,485

-64.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.42

62.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nanjing: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Nanjing

$295 35.1% 35.5% $163

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Nanjing

$205 24.4% 23.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Nanjing

$68 8.1% 45.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Nanjing

$103 12.3% 17.1% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Nanjing

$95 11.3% 20.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Nanjing

$40 4.8% 41% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Nanjing

$35 4.1% 11.4% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $529 in Nanjing. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nanjing pays 183% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Nanjing for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $205 per month, with Nanjing cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Nanjing

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,314,685

💱 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Nanjing 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Nanjing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanjing is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 183% lower in Nanjing. 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: $735 in Phuket versus $529 in Nanjing. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nanjing – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,190 per month in Phuket versus $841 in Nanjing – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $841 in Nanjing versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nanjing but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nanjing the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Nanjing is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Nanjing are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nanjing gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.