Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nantong Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nantong

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $624 in Nantong.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,028 in Nantong.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,432 in Nantong.

Living in Phuket is roughly 103% more expensive than Nantong, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Nantong 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$2.72 ¥18.41

72.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$22.19 ¥150

104.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$4.56 ¥30.84

84.87%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$2.54 ¥17.17

15.35%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$0.41 ¥2.79

68.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.26 ¥1.77

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$0.68 ¥4.57

254.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$2.03 ¥13.76

83.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$1.53 ¥10.39

45.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$1.42 ¥9.60

28.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$0.60 ¥4.09

261.67%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$1.47 ¥9.92

50.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$6.53 ¥44.22

202.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$2.81 ¥19.00

29.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$9.06 ¥61.3

49.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$2.16 ¥14.64

51.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$1.39 ¥9.38

15.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$1.58 ¥10.71

52.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.20 ¥8.13

73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$0.62 ¥4.23

146.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$0.90 ¥6.07

64.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$0.73 ¥4.95

35.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$0.51 ¥3.48

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$3.07 ¥20.80

43.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

$8.73 ¥59.1

121.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.88 ¥5.97

102.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

$1.51 ¥10.23

79.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$0.22 ¥1.49

522.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$20.77 ¥141

-45.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$1.49 ¥10.10

102.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$0.28 ¥1.91

253.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$8.56 ¥58.0

64.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$1.14 ¥7.74

19.30%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$16.9K ¥114.6K

66.54%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$14.7K ¥99.5K

123.77%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$39.15 ¥265

210.86%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$8.14 ¥55.1

66.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$11.20 ¥75.8

63.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$41.80 ¥283

44.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$11.10 ¥75.1

54.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$5.42 ¥36.69

60.33%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$185 ¥1,251

275.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$11.2K ¥76.1K

39.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$41.98 ¥284

41.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$33.36 ¥226

4.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$60.8 ¥411

88.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$82.7 ¥560

0.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$209 ¥1,412

194.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$137 ¥926

219.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$729 ¥4,934

187.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$322 ¥2,178

369.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$3,723 ¥25.2K

0.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

$2,384 ¥16.1K

9.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$1,297 ¥8,779

-60.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.87

37.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Nantong: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $209 in Nantong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nantong pays 155% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Nantong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $168 per month, with Nantong cheaper across the board.

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 Nantong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Nantong differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($1,265 vs $624 including rent). Nantong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, Nantong earns 155% less. 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: $613 in Phuket versus $209 in Nantong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $185 in Nantong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $624 in Nantong versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nantong but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nantong 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Nantong 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 Nantong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.