Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taoyuan Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Taoyuan

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,133 in Taoyuan.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,711 in Taoyuan.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $2,289 in Taoyuan.

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than Taoyuan, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Taoyuan 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$5.06 NT$160

-8.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$25.54 NT$808

83.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$6.17 NT$195

43.27%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.94 NT$92.9

2.04%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$1.29 NT$40.87

-42.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.78 NT$24.81

-52.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$1.68 NT$53.1

45.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.40 NT$76.0

50.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$3.21 NT$102

-29.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.38 NT$43.56

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$2.53 NT$79.9

-11.46%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$2.23 NT$70.5

4.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$9.18 NT$291

114.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$8.02 NT$254

-54.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$15.90 NT$503

-17.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$3.34 NT$106

1.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.90 NT$60.2

-13.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$2.62 NT$83.0

-8.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$3.00 NT$95.0

-32.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$2.44 NT$77.2

-36.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.89 NT$59.7

-20.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$2.56 NT$80.9

-60.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.87 NT$27.61

-43.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$6.61 NT$209

-32.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$9.44 NT$299

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.84 NT$58.2

-3.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.37 NT$75.0

16.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.70 NT$22.08

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$41.05 NT$1,299

-72.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$3.13 NT$99.0

-0.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.78 NT$24.80

28.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$8.03 NT$254

75.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.05 NT$33.34

28.57%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$35.9K NT$1.1M

-24.27%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$26.4K NT$834.4K

24.88%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$65.2 NT$2,063

91.72%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$29.34 NT$928

-53.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$19.10 NT$605

-3.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$37.10 NT$1,174

65.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$10.26 NT$325

64.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$9.97 NT$316

-7.82%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$575 NT$18.2K

21.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$15.3K NT$485.7K

1.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$82.6 NT$2,613

-30.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$24.12 NT$763

46.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$84.7 NT$2,680

33.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$101 NT$3,200

-14.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$424 NT$13.4K

45.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$343 NT$10.9K

29.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$837 NT$26.5K

144.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$613 NT$19.4K

143.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$8,004 NT$253.3K

-52.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$5,235 NT$165.7K

-49.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

$1,536 NT$48.6K

-65.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

1.57

239.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Taoyuan: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $424 in Taoyuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taoyuan pays 193% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $26.00 in Taoyuan. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $299, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

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 Taoyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taoyuan is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, Taoyuan earns 193% 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: $616 in Phuket versus $424 in Taoyuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $575 in Taoyuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,133 in Taoyuan versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Taoyuan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Taoyuan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.