Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taiyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $587 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
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Taiyuan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$587

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Taiyuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $587 in Taiyuan.

Phuket $1,278
Taiyuan $587

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $913 in Taiyuan.

Phuket $2,216
Taiyuan $913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,238 in Taiyuan.

Phuket $3,154
Taiyuan $1,238

Living in Phuket is roughly 118% more expensive than in Taiyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Taiyuan 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.23 ¥14.82

100.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$15.13 ¥101

114.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.44 ¥29.56

98.42%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.63 ¥17.50

7.60%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.47 ¥3.14

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.31 ¥2.07

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.22 ¥8.10

109.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.09 ¥13.90

76.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.82 ¥5.48

82.93%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$0.92 ¥6.15

127.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.83 ¥85.4

-14.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.86 ¥12.37

57.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.31 ¥8.74

29.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.84 ¥5.61

167.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.13 ¥7.55

84.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.51 ¥3.40

196.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.29 ¥1.93

375.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.43 ¥2.85

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.05 ¥20.32

37.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.30 ¥48.56

157.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.89 ¥5.90

104.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.46 ¥9.73

94.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.29 ¥1.90

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$13.44 ¥89.5

321.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.17 ¥7.77

158.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.25 ¥1.67

308.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.73 ¥24.82

-1.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.26 ¥8.36

16.67%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$19.5K ¥129.5K

37.56%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$17.2K ¥114.7K

54.89%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$93.6 ¥623

2.89%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.61 ¥70.6

6.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$12.66 ¥84.2

33.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$45.02 ¥300

49.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$8.83 ¥58.8

21.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.60 ¥43.91

13.64%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$27.82 ¥185

124.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$66.3 ¥441

-57.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$75.1 ¥500

25.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$60.9 ¥405

40.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$223 ¥1,481

221.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$114 ¥761

329.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$548 ¥3,645

251.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$262 ¥1,743

446.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,692 ¥17.9K

55.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,235 ¥8,217

146.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$947 ¥6,301

-46.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.83

45.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Taiyuan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Taiyuan

$114 19.5% 76.7% $377

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Taiyuan

$101 * 17.2% 62.1% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Taiyuan

$117 19.9% 6.1% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Taiyuan

$104 17.6% 15% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Taiyuan

$76 13% 37.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Taiyuan

$58 9.9% 29.2% $24

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Taiyuan

$17 2.9% 75.9% $54

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 $223 in Taiyuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taiyuan pays 89% 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 $15 in Taiyuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $101 per month, with Taiyuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,525,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Taiyuan 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Taiyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taiyuan is about 54% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 47% 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 $223 in Taiyuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Taiyuan – a meal for two runs $15 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Taiyuan runs roughly 76% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $587 in Taiyuan versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Taiyuan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Taiyuan 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.

Expats usually find Taiyuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.