Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Putian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $518 in Putian.

Phuket $1,208
Putian $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $854 in Putian.

Phuket $2,027
Putian $854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,190 in Putian.

Phuket $2,845
Putian $1,190

Living in Phuket is roughly 133% more expensive than in Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Putian 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.21 ¥14.79

99.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$23.26 ¥156

38.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.17 ¥34.57

69.44%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.44 ¥16.32

15.98%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.43 ¥2.88

109.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.29 ¥1.92

62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.77 ¥5.16

231.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.93 ¥19.58

30.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.47 ¥9.82

17.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.25 ¥15.07

-34.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.93 ¥6.19

62.37%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.58 ¥10.58

37.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$11.73 ¥78.4

67.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.43 ¥16.22

37.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$12.18 ¥81.4

-8.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.55 ¥17.03

11.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.42 ¥9.49

19.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.70 ¥11.34

28.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.98 ¥13.25

3.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.02 ¥6.79

42.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.77 ¥11.86

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.93 ¥6.19

15.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.50 ¥3.36

2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.04 ¥20.31

40.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$11.18 ¥74.8

66.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.83 ¥5.58

114.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.71 ¥11.44

66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.74 ¥4.92

205.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$22.38 ¥150

-1.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.52 ¥10.16

98.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.29 ¥1.94

265.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.02 ¥46.94

-45.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.31 ¥8.76

10.69%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.4K ¥129.8K

35.62%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

51.64%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$44.03 ¥294

118.90%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$8.87 ¥59.3

24.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$10.55 ¥70.6

62.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$10.08 ¥67.4

-22.52%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$492 ¥3,286

13.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

-52.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$39.10 ¥261

64.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$29.11 ¥195

-1.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$103 ¥691

-7.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$85.7 ¥573

2.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,637 ¥17.6K

32.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,115 ¥7,452

126.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$480 ¥3,211

4.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.46

60.98%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Putian

$215 41.6% 19.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Putian

$63 12.3% 49.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Putian

$116 22.4% 6.9% $8.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Putian

$75 14.5% 38.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 70.3% $48

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Putian

$28 5.5% 28.3% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $23.00 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $215 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

11:09 11:09 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,954,000

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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 Putian 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Putian

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 Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putian is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 133% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $492 in Putian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $518 in Putian versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Putian the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Putian 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 Putian 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 Putian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.