Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pingdingshan Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pingdingshan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $725 in Pingdingshan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,154 in Pingdingshan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,584 in Pingdingshan.

Living in Phuket is roughly 75% more expensive than Pingdingshan, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Pingdingshan 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿153

$2.84 ¥19.26

65.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,482

$21.04 ¥142

115.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿275

$4.99 ¥33.81

68.94%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.6

$3.02 ¥20.48

-2.98%

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

$0.69 ฿22.40

$0.44 ¥2.96

56.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.99

$0.27 ¥1.81

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$0.89 ¥6.03

170.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$2.14 ¥14.47

73.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿72.9

$1.79 ¥12.12

24.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.8

$1.55 ¥10.48

18.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.8

$0.89 ¥6.01

143.82%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.3

$1.61 ¥10.92

37.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$13.03 ¥88.3

51.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$3.23 ¥21.85

12.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$10.16 ¥68.8

33.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$1.81 ¥12.24

81.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.6

$1.24 ¥8.43

29.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$1.41 ¥9.57

70.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.09 ¥7.39

90.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.93

$0.72 ¥4.88

112.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.36

$0.91 ¥6.13

62.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.29

$0.57 ¥3.85

73.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.67

$0.50 ¥3.41

2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$3.10 ¥20.99

42.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿633

$14.59 ¥98.9

32.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.75 ¥5.08

137.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.6

$1.59 ¥10.77

70.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.79

$0.29 ¥1.99

372.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$16.47 ¥112

-30.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.6

$1.37 ¥9.27

120.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.48

$0.32 ¥2.20

209.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$6.54 ¥44.27

115.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.51

$1.12 ¥7.59

21.43%

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

$28.2K ฿921.1K

$19.6K ¥132.8K

43.86%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$16.8K ¥113.7K

95.93%

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

$122 ฿3,975

$45.55 ¥309

167.18%

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

$13.57 ฿443

$9.81 ¥66.5

38.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿598

$11.50 ¥77.9

59.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,967

$41.66 ¥282

44.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$13.86 ¥93.9

23.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$6.19 ¥41.90

40.39%

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

$693 ฿22.6K

$342 ¥2,315

102.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.3K

$16.6K ¥112.7K

-5.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,944

$43.56 ¥295

36.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,136

$30.52 ¥207

13.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,743

$71.0 ¥481

61.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,720

$73.5 ¥498

13.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$278 ¥1,886

120.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$190 ¥1,287

130.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.4K

$580 ¥3,929

261.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$353 ¥2,392

327.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

$2,991 ¥20.3K

25.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

$1,729 ¥11.7K

51.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

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 Pingdingshan: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $278 in Pingdingshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $21.00 in Pingdingshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $205 per month, with Pingdingshan 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 Pingdingshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pingdingshan is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 75% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,087 in Pingdingshan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $613 in Phuket versus $278 in Pingdingshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $342 in Pingdingshan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $725 in Pingdingshan versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pingdingshan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Pingdingshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pingdingshan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Pingdingshan 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 Pingdingshan 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.