Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nanyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanyang: $716 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Nanyang
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Nanyang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Nanyang

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nanyang

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $716 in Nanyang, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Nanyang $716

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,135 in Nanyang, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Nanyang $1,135

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,553 in Nanyang, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Nanyang $1,553

Phuket costs about 69% more than Nanyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Nanyang are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Nanyang 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.71 ¥18.11

62.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$21.23 ¥142

51.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.83 ¥32.31

81.37%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.08 ¥20.57

-8.12%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.47 ¥3.11

91.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.29 ¥1.95

62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.95 ¥6.36

168.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.05 ¥13.73

86.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.80 ¥12.03

-3.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.55 ¥10.37

-5.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.88 ¥5.92

71.59%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.61 ¥10.79

34.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.81 ¥85.7

53.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.16 ¥21.10

5.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.30 ¥68.9

8.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.88 ¥12.59

51.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.24 ¥8.29

37.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.49 ¥9.99

46.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.11 ¥7.41

84.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.76 ¥5.05

90.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.91 ¥6.10

51.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.57 ¥3.78

87.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.52 ¥3.47

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.21 ¥21.48

32.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$10.46 ¥70.0

77.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.79 ¥5.28

125.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.63 ¥10.93

74.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.29 ¥1.96

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$16.39 ¥110

34.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.42 ¥9.49

111.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.33 ¥2.19

221.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$6.83 ¥45.69

-43.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.16 ¥7.78

25.00%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.5K ¥130.5K

34.94%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.3K ¥115.9K

55.41%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$44.67 ¥299

115.76%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.54 ¥63.8

15.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$11.80 ¥78.9

45.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$42.48 ¥284

22.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.66 ¥91.4

-18.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.80 ¥38.77

34.66%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$339 ¥2,265

64.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$16.7K ¥111.7K

-30.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$43.74 ¥292

46.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$30.45 ¥204

-5.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$73.1 ¥489

30.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$70.8 ¥473

24.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$282 ¥1,886

161.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$194 ¥1,299

138.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$593 ¥3,963

253.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$366 ¥2,446

228.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,012 ¥20.1K

15.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,063 ¥13.8K

22.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.89

43.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nanyang: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Nanyang

$194 27.1% 58% $268

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Nanyang

$198 27.6% 26.4% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Nanyang

$66 9.2% 47% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Nanyang

$98 13.7% 21.1% $26

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Nanyang

$85 11.9% 29.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Nanyang

$54 7.6% 20.2% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Nanyang

$21 2.9% 47.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $282 in Nanyang. 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $21.00 in Nanyang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $198 – making Nanyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Nanyang

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

21:18 9:18 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,085,680

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Nanyang 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nanyang

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 Nanyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $716 in Nanyang – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,074 in Nanyang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanyang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $716 in Nanyang. That's a gap of about 69%.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Nanyang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nanyang, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Nanyang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $716 in Nanyang to $1,208 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nanyang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.