Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Putian Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Putian

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,247 in Phuket versus $727 in Putian.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,276 in Phuket versus $1,149 in Putian.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Phuket versus $1,570 in Putian.

Living in Phuket is roughly 71% more expensive than Putian, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 7% lower, Putian 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.59 ฿147

$2.13 ¥14.57

115.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.83 ฿1,500

$23.12 ¥158

102.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿279

$5.64 ¥38.55

54.26%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ฿93.7

$2.71 ¥18.52

7.75%

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

$0.68 ฿21.90

$0.40 ¥2.75

70.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿12.69

$0.29 ¥1.99

37.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ฿80.3

$0.72 ¥4.94

248.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ฿122

$2.86 ¥19.51

32.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 ฿69.2

$1.85 ¥12.62

16.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 ฿60.3

$2.14 ¥14.60

-12.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ฿69.1

$0.78 ¥5.32

176.92%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿71.1

$1.32 ¥9.03

68.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.57 ฿627

$11.34 ¥77.5

72.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.80 ฿122

$2.34 ¥15.97

62.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.41 ฿430

$11.20 ¥76.5

19.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 ฿104

$2.40 ¥16.39

35.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.6

$1.33 ¥9.08

21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ฿73.9

$1.51 ¥10.32

52.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 ฿65.9

$1.87 ¥12.74

10.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.4

$0.96 ¥6.57

67.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 ฿46.23

$1.69 ¥11.56

-14.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ฿32.99

$0.82 ¥5.61

25.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.38

$0.55 ¥3.76

-12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿144

$2.74 ¥18.74

64.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.18 ฿614

$10.93 ¥74.7

75.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.4

$0.76 ¥5.18

139.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿86.2

$1.60 ¥10.95

68.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 ฿44.13

$0.29 ¥2.00

375.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.76 ฿377

$16.83 ¥115

-30.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.5

$1.36 ¥9.32

128.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.16

$0.28 ¥1.92

257.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 ฿440

$6.79 ¥46.38

102.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ฿41.58

$1.13 ¥7.72

15.04%

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

$27.4K ฿876.5K

$16.2K ¥110.7K

68.80%

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

$17.8K ¥121.5K

85.69%

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

$125 ฿4,001

$39.24 ¥268

218.25%

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

$13.74 ฿440

$9.89 ¥67.6

38.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.61 ฿596

$11.92 ¥81.4

56.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.6 ฿1,940

$42.48 ¥290

42.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 ฿549

$13.75 ¥93.9

24.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 ฿289

$9.21 ¥62.9

-2.17%

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

$698 ฿22.4K

$463 ¥3,161

50.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K ฿516.2K

$16.9K ¥115.4K

-4.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 ฿1,897

$43.01 ¥294

37.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 ฿1,117

$26.71 ¥182

30.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ฿3,659

$83.9 ¥573

36.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,749

$78.8 ¥538

8.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 ฿19.8K

$284 ¥1,938

118.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.0K

$187 ¥1,277

133.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,075 ฿66.5K

$600 ¥4,095

246.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿48.4K

$356 ¥2,434

323.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,764 ฿120.6K

$2,554 ¥17.4K

47.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,694 ฿86.3K

$2,003 ¥13.7K

34.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 ฿16.9K

$452 ¥3,090

16.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.56

49.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 13, 2026

Last update for Putian: April 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Phuket and $284 in Putian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 17% 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: $47 in Phuket vs $23 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $208 per month, with Putian 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 Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putian is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 71% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Phuket pays 17% more on average, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $619 in Phuket versus $284 in Putian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $463 in Putian. 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 $727 in Putian versus $1,247 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 71% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.