Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pingtung city

For one person, living is cheaper in Pingtung city: $890 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
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Pingtung city Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pingtung city

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $890 in Pingtung city.

Phuket $1,278
Pingtung city $890

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,441 in Pingtung city.

Phuket $2,216
Pingtung city $1,441

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,993 in Pingtung city.

Phuket $3,154
Pingtung city $1,993

Living in Phuket is roughly 44% more expensive than in Pingtung city, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Pingtung city 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.51 NT$147

-0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$30.78 NT$1,003

5.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.74 NT$154

85.86%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.95 NT$96.3

-4.07%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.02 NT$33.23

-14.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.64 NT$20.76

-23.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.46 NT$47.49

75.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.43 NT$79.3

51.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.22 NT$105

-48.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.87 NT$60.8

-21.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.54 NT$82.9

-40.94%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.55 NT$83.3

-18.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$15.44 NT$504

23.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.67 NT$250

-56.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.97 NT$488

-27.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.32 NT$141

-32.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.92 NT$62.7

-11.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.53 NT$82.5

-11.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.02 NT$98.6

-31.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.22 NT$39.81

23.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.86 NT$60.8

-25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.26 NT$73.8

-52.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.84 NT$27.39

-38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.72 NT$121

12.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.66 NT$511

19.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.54 NT$50.2

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.16 NT$70.6

31.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.48 NT$15.66

202.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.63 NT$85.7

14.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.80 NT$26.00

27.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.25 NT$204

-40.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.99 NT$32.36

48.48%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.7K NT$1.1M

-22.93%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$22.2K NT$722.4K

20.47%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$108 NT$3,527

-10.92%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.35 NT$468

-21.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$25.28 NT$824

-33.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.96 NT$325

-24.70%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$328 NT$10.7K

45.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$13.6K NT$443.2K

-17.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$69.5 NT$2,267

-10.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$30.29 NT$988

-6.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$80.8 NT$2,635

16.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$100 NT$3,268

-14.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$243 NT$7,923

194.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$153 NT$5,000

220.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$713 NT$23.2K

170.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$372 NT$12.1K

284.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,946 NT$63.4K

-74.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.27

145.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pingtung city: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Pingtung city

$153 17.2% 68.8% $338

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Pingtung city

$329 37% 23.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Pingtung city

$148 16.6% 18.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pingtung city

$126 14.2% 3.7% $4.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pingtung city

$105 11.8% 14.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Pingtung city

$20 * 2.2% 75.8% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Pingtung city

$8.5 * 1% 87.9% $62

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $243 in Pingtung city. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pingtung city pays about 3.9 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 $31 in Pingtung city. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $329, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

13:22 1:22 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

201,644

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Pingtung city 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Pingtung city

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 Pingtung city: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pingtung city is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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 $243 in Pingtung city. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $328 in Pingtung city. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pingtung city – a meal for two runs $31 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $890 in Pingtung city versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Pingtung city but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Pingtung city 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Pingtung city are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.