Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Panjin

For one person, living is cheaper in Panjin: $692 a month against $1,207 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
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Panjin
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Panjin Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Panjin

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Panjin

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $692 in Panjin, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Panjin $692

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $1,079 in Panjin, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Panjin $1,079

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,466 in Panjin, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Panjin $1,466

Phuket costs about 75% more than Panjin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Panjin are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Panjin 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$2.98 ¥19.90

53.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,089

$14.99 ¥100

116.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$3.65 ¥24.40

134.25%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.2

$2.45 ¥16.39

11.02%

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

$0.94 ฿31.33

$0.35 ¥2.35

168.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.44

$0.35 ¥2.36

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.8

$0.86 ¥5.74

201.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.84 ¥12.30

108.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.53 ¥10.20

13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.95

$2.39 ¥15.98

-40.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$0.62 ¥4.17

146.77%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.9

$0.87 ¥5.81

149.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿642

$11.34 ¥75.8

68.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$1.50 ¥10.03

120.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$14.76 ¥98.6

-24.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.8

$1.47 ¥9.79

100.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$1.22 ¥8.14

37.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.0

$1.63 ¥10.90

41.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.5

$1.47 ¥9.83

44.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$0.57 ¥3.83

168.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.67

$0.88 ¥5.86

54.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.54

$0.43 ¥2.86

160.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.29

$0.64 ¥4.26

-14.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$3.71 ¥24.79

14.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿610

$16.74 ¥112

8.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$0.47 ¥3.12

270.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.6

$1.10 ¥7.36

153.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.3

$0.29 ¥1.91

665.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿739

$15.75 ¥105

40.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.6

$0.93 ¥6.19

212.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.89

$0.29 ¥1.91

248.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.01 ¥20.08

27.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.98

$1.18 ¥7.91

26.27%

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

$26.7K ฿894.0K

$19.7K ¥131.8K

35.20%

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

$26.7K ฿895.1K

$14.8K ¥99.1K

80.02%

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

$99.4 ฿3,330

$45.36 ¥303

119.07%

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

$11.28 ฿378

$4.61 ¥30.82

144.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿582

$7.55 ¥50.4

129.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,752

$42.21 ¥282

23.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿363

$14.91 ¥99.6

-27.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

$5.97 ¥39.86

26.80%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$296 ¥1,980

88.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿384.9K

$21.6K ¥144.6K

-46.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,107

$44.54 ¥298

41.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿958

$33.98 ¥227

-15.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,222

$60.9 ¥407

57.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,951

$69.4 ¥463

26.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$329 ¥2,199

121.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$181 ¥1,211

153.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.2K

$581 ¥3,885

260.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.0K

$331 ¥2,209

269.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.9K

$3,032 ¥20.3K

14.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.4K

$2,074 ¥13.9K

20.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$604 ¥4,035

-18.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.9

42.82%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Panjin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Panjin

$181 26.2% 60.6% $279

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Panjin

$210 30.4% 21.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Panjin

$58 8.3% 55.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Panjin

$94 13.6% 24.3% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Panjin

$75 10.9% 38.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Panjin

$54 7.8% 19.7% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Panjin

$19 2.8% 50.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $329 in Panjin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Panjin, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $15.00 in Panjin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $210 – making Panjin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Panjin

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

17:32 5:32 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,389,691

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 33.51 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Panjin 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Panjin

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 Panjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 75% more than Panjin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $1,037 in Panjin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 27% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $15.00 in Panjin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Panjin, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Panjin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Panjin costs $692 versus $1,207 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Panjin. 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.