Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taiyuan Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taiyuan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $629 in Taiyuan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,018 in Taiyuan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,406 in Taiyuan.

Living in Phuket is roughly 101% more expensive than Taiyuan, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Taiyuan 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$2.15 ¥14.53

118.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$21.14 ¥143

114.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$4.30 ¥29.11

96.05%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$2.38 ¥16.14

23.11%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$0.54 ¥3.66

27.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.32 ¥2.20

15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$1.27 ¥8.62

89.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$2.15 ¥14.55

73.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$1.37 ¥9.26

62.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$2.85 ¥19.26

-35.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$0.70 ¥4.77

210.00%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$0.93 ¥6.33

137.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$14.09 ¥95.4

40.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$2.84 ¥19.25

27.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$10.94 ¥74.1

23.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$2.14 ¥14.51

53.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$1.32 ¥8.90

21.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$0.83 ¥5.61

190.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.09 ¥7.36

90.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$0.49 ¥3.33

212.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$0.40 ¥2.71

270.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$0.44 ¥2.97

125.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$0.41 ¥2.76

24.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$2.11 ¥14.27

109.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

$7.29 ¥49.34

165.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.72 ¥4.85

147.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

$1.36 ¥9.21

99.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$0.29 ¥1.97

372.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$12.36 ¥83.7

-7.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$1.08 ¥7.34

179.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$0.21 ¥1.42

371.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$3.44 ¥23.31

309.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$1.10 ¥7.43

23.64%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$23.0K ¥155.9K

22.41%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$20.4K ¥138.2K

61.19%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$69.0 ¥467

76.45%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$9.73 ¥65.9

39.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$12.08 ¥81.7

51.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$41.84 ¥283

43.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$8.45 ¥57.2

102.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$5.59 ¥37.82

55.46%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$417 ¥2,822

66.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$4,244 ¥28.7K

269.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$23.85 ¥161

149.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$48.81 ¥330

-28.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$68.5 ¥463

67.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$65.8 ¥445

26.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$208 ¥1,410

194.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$106 ¥715

313.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$502 ¥3,399

317.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$247 ¥1,672

511.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$2,663 ¥18.0K

40.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

$1,226 ¥8,296

113.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$925 ¥6,258

-45.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

3.83

39.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Taiyuan: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $208 in Taiyuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taiyuan pays 82% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $21.00 in Taiyuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $195 per month, with Taiyuan 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 Taiyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taiyuan is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Taiyuan earns 82% less. 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: $613 in Phuket versus $208 in Taiyuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $417 in Taiyuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $629 in Taiyuan versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 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.

For families, Taiyuan 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 Taiyuan 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 Taiyuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.