Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nanning

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanning: $737 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Nanning
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Nanning Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Nanning

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nanning

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $737 in Nanning.

Phuket $1,278
Nanning $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,176 in Nanning.

Phuket $2,216
Nanning $1,176

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,615 in Nanning.

Phuket $3,154
Nanning $1,615

Living in Phuket is roughly 73% more expensive than in Nanning, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Nanning 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.97 ¥19.73

50.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$20.42 ¥136

58.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.76 ¥38.31

52.95%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.33 ¥15.51

21.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.56 ¥3.70

55.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.27 ¥1.78

81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.88 ¥5.84

190.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.30 ¥15.29

60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.24 ¥14.91

-25.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.23 ¥14.86

-34.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.13 ¥7.54

32.74%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.93 ¥12.85

8.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.30 ¥68.5

85.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.93 ¥26.14

-16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.63 ¥117

-38.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.89 ¥12.57

55.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.31 ¥8.73

29.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.52 ¥10.11

48.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.68 ¥11.17

23.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.97 ¥6.45

55.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.21 ¥8.05

14.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.57 ¥3.80

87.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.63 ¥4.22

-17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.07 ¥27.10

3.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.93 ¥99.3

25.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.93 ¥6.22

95.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.65 ¥10.96

72.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.50 ¥3.30

190.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$15.90 ¥106

256.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.37 ¥9.13

120.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.46 ¥3.09

121.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.48 ¥49.76

-50.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.30 ¥8.62

13.08%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$23.2K ¥154.6K

15.24%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$13.2K ¥88.2K

101.47%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$33.66 ¥224

186.24%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.52 ¥96.6

-22.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$10.84 ¥72.2

55.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$76.0 ¥506

-11.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.43 ¥49.41

44.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.93 ¥46.14

8.23%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$304 ¥2,020

56.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$4,423 ¥29.4K

154.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$19.68 ¥131

216.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$29.48 ¥196

-3.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$65.5 ¥436

43.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$72.4 ¥481

18.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$251 ¥1,669

185.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$156 ¥1,036

215.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$388 ¥2,580

396.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$294 ¥1,959

385.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,516 ¥23.4K

18.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,577 ¥10.5K

93.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$667 ¥4,438

-24.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.63

53.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nanning: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Nanning

$156 21.1% 68.3% $335

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Nanning

$245 33.3% 7.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Nanning

$59 8% 52.6% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nanning

$84 11.4% 30.9% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nanning

$81 11% 33.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Nanning

$90 12.2% 9.3% $7.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Nanning

$22 2.9% 69.4% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $251 in Nanning. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nanning pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $20 in Nanning for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $245 per month, with Nanning cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Nanning

🕒 Local time

02:38 2:38 AM

03:38 3:38 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,741,584

💱 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 October 31, 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Nanning 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nanning

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 Nanning: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $737 in Nanning, so Nanning is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $251 in Nanning. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Nanning runs roughly 72% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $304 in Nanning. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $737 in Nanning versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Nanning but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nanning the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Nanning gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.