Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nantong

For one person, living is cheaper in Nantong: $748 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Nantong
Learn more

Nantong Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Nantong

🇨🇳 China

$748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nantong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $748 in Nantong.

Phuket $1,278
Nantong $748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,233 in Nantong.

Phuket $2,216
Nantong $1,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,719 in Nantong.

Phuket $3,154
Nantong $1,719

Living in Phuket is roughly 71% more expensive than in Nantong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Nantong 45% 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

$23.82 ¥159

36.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.44 ¥29.54

98.42%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.84 ¥18.89

-0.35%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.65 ¥4.32

33.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.31 ¥2.04

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.73 ¥4.85

250.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.31 ¥15.35

59.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.58 ¥10.49

5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.53 ¥10.19

-4.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.84 ¥5.57

78.57%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.76 ¥11.70

18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$6.84 ¥45.53

178.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.66 ¥24.38

-9.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.04 ¥66.8

8.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.32 ¥15.46

26.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.35 ¥9.01

25.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.47 ¥9.79

53.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.42 ¥9.45

46.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.73 ¥4.86

106.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.93 ¥6.18

48.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.66 ¥4.40

62.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.51 ¥3.41

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.30 ¥21.94

27.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.20 ¥61.2

104.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.79 ¥5.28

130.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.70 ¥11.34

67.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.21 ¥1.40

590.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$14.81 ¥98.6

282.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.89 ¥12.61

59.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.39 ¥2.56

161.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.23 ¥48.08

-48.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.16 ¥7.72

26.72%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$19.1K ¥127.3K

39.92%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$18.4K ¥122.7K

44.80%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$47.68 ¥317

102.08%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.37 ¥49.02

52.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$15.00 ¥99.8

12.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$114 ¥756

-40.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$12.01 ¥79.9

-10.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.34 ¥48.82

2.18%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$204 ¥1,355

133.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$11.9K ¥78.9K

-5.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$58.6 ¥390

6.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$41.71 ¥278

-31.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$64.6 ¥430

45.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$108 ¥719

-20.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$211 ¥1,402

239.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$142 ¥946

245.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$696 ¥4,630

176.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$354 ¥2,358

303.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,703 ¥24.6K

12.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,275 ¥15.1K

33.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,327 ¥8,827

-62.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.5

59.14%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nantong: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Nantong

$142 19% 71% $349

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Nantong

$182 24.3% 31.7% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Nantong

$70 9.4% 43.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nantong

$123 16.4% 0.8% $0.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nantong

$83 11.1% 31.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Nantong

$128 17.2% 56% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Nantong

$19 2.6% 72.4% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $211 in Nantong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nantong pays about 2.6 times 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 $24 in Nantong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $182 per month, with Nantong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Nantong

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

08:50 8:50 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

7,726,635

💱 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 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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Between locations

Phuket Nantong 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nantong

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 Nantong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $748 in Nantong, so Nantong is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% 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 $211 in Nantong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $204 in Nantong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $748 in Nantong versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 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.

Expats usually find Nantong 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.