Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ningbo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ningbo: $691 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Ningbo
Learn more

Ningbo Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Ningbo

🇨🇳 China

$691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ningbo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $691 in Ningbo.

Phuket $1,208
Ningbo $691

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,179 in Ningbo.

Phuket $2,027
Ningbo $1,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,668 in Ningbo.

Phuket $2,845
Ningbo $1,668

Living in Phuket is roughly 75% more expensive than in Ningbo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Ningbo 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.89 ¥19.32

52.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$30.12 ¥201

7.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.46 ¥29.83

96.41%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.52 ¥23.55

-19.60%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.44 ¥2.93

104.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.31 ¥2.08

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.04 ¥6.95

145.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.44 ¥23.00

11.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.74 ¥11.65

-0.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.16 ¥7.79

26.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.70 ¥4.66

115.71%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.56 ¥10.46

39.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$15.18 ¥101

29.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.67 ¥24.53

-8.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.78 ¥58.7

27.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.07 ¥7.13

166.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.56 ¥10.42

8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.57 ¥10.52

39.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.22 ¥8.13

68.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.62 ¥4.12

133.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.70 ¥4.69

97.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.65 ¥4.32

64.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.57 ¥3.83

-10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.61 ¥30.79

-7.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$8.03 ¥53.7

131.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.81 ¥5.43

119.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.50 ¥10.04

90.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.31 ¥2.08

629.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$16.67 ¥111

32.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.68 ¥11.21

79.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.35 ¥2.31

202.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.16 ¥47.90

-46.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.33 ¥8.88

9.02%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.6K ¥131.1K

34.23%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$18.1K ¥121.3K

48.57%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$51.9 ¥347

85.67%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$6.67 ¥44.63

65.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$7.80 ¥52.1

119.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$25.44 ¥170

105.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.16 ¥94.7

-21.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$8.05 ¥53.8

-2.98%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$932 ¥6,234

-40.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$15.9K ¥106.6K

-27.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$63.8 ¥427

0.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$26.75 ¥179

7.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$62.2 ¥416

53.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$52.6 ¥351

67.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$358 ¥2,394

105.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$184 ¥1,230

151.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$766 ¥5,121

173.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$469 ¥3,136

156.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,784 ¥25.3K

-7.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,053 ¥13.7K

22.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,193 ¥7,977

-58.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.18

75.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ningbo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Ningbo

$184 26.6% 60.2% $278

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Ningbo

$191 27.7% 28.8% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Ningbo

$66 9.6% 46.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Ningbo

$92 13.4% 25.7% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Ningbo

$94 13.6% 22.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Ningbo

$42 6% 38.7% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Ningbo

$21 3.1% 45.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $358 in Ningbo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ningbo pays 138% 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 $30.00 in Ningbo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $191 per month, with Ningbo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Ningbo

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

09:31 9:31 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

7,605,689

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ningbo 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ningbo

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 Ningbo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ningbo wins on cost – living expenses run 75% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ningbo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 138% lower in Ningbo. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $358 in Ningbo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $932 in Ningbo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $691 in Ningbo versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ningbo but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ningbo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ningbo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $691 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ningbo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Ningbo 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 Ningbo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.