Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sanya

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanya: $776 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Sanya
Learn more

Sanya Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sanya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $776 in Sanya.

Phuket $1,208
Sanya $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,250 in Sanya.

Phuket $2,027
Sanya $1,250

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,723 in Sanya.

Phuket $2,845
Sanya $1,723

Living in Phuket is roughly 56% more expensive than in Sanya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Sanya 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.33 ¥22.29

32.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$22.31 ¥149

44.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.19 ¥41.37

41.52%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.15 ¥14.37

31.63%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.53 ¥3.56

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.43 ¥2.87

9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.31 ¥8.75

94.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.74 ¥11.61

120.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.14 ¥14.33

-19.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.36 ¥9.12

8.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.53 ¥10.22

-1.31%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.68 ¥11.21

29.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$23.02 ¥154

-14.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.57 ¥30.59

-26.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.46 ¥76.6

-2.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.27 ¥15.17

25.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.53 ¥10.24

11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.46 ¥16.44

-10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.99 ¥13.31

3.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.91 ¥6.11

59.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.73 ¥4.87

89.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.55 ¥3.65

94.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.59 ¥3.92

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.65 ¥24.42

16.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.67 ¥51.3

142.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.87 ¥5.83

104.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.60 ¥10.69

78.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.31 ¥2.05

629.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$18.12 ¥121

21.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.46 ¥9.76

106.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.35 ¥2.32

202.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$7.51 ¥50.2

-48.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.25 ¥8.34

16.00%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$22.0K ¥147.2K

19.56%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.2K ¥114.9K

56.74%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$56.0 ¥374

72.11%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$6.60 ¥44.16

67.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$4.41 ¥29.52

288.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$40.87 ¥273

27.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.90 ¥99.6

-25.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.25 ¥41.80

24.96%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$403 ¥2,695

37.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$17.0K ¥113.9K

-32.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$43.83 ¥293

46.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$33.64 ¥225

-14.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$73.6 ¥492

29.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$85.9 ¥574

2.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$298 ¥1,994

147.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$191 ¥1,276

142.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$624 ¥4,173

235.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$381 ¥2,547

215.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,393 ¥22.7K

2.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,946 ¥13.0K

29.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$903 ¥6,038

-44.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.36

65.77%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sanya: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Sanya

$191 24.6% 58.7% $272

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Sanya

$251 32.3% 6.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Sanya

$67 8.6% 46.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Sanya

$107 13.7% 14.2% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Sanya

$85 10.9% 30% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Sanya

$53 6.9% 21.3% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Sanya

$23 2.9% 42.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $298 in Sanya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sanya pays 80% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Sanya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $251 per month, with Sanya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Sanya

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,031,396

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sanya 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sanya

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 Sanya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sanya is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Sanya. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $298 in Sanya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $403 in Sanya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $776 in Sanya versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sanya but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sanya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sanya 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 Sanya 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 Sanya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.