Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tianjin Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tianjin

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $880 in Tianjin.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Phuket versus $1,364 in Tianjin.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Phuket versus $1,849 in Tianjin.

Living in Phuket is roughly 40% more expensive than in Tianjin, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 10% lower, Tianjin 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$4.22 ¥28.25

4.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,077

$24.19 ¥162

33.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿298

$6.04 ¥40.44

47.85%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.6

$4.09 ¥27.37

-29.10%

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

$0.88 ฿29.38

$0.50 ¥3.32

76.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$0.28 ¥1.89

71.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.5

$0.93 ¥6.20

152.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$1.68 ¥11.27

121.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.3

$1.49 ¥9.98

25.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.94

$2.21 ¥14.81

-33.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.8

$1.69 ¥11.31

-8.28%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.1

$1.26 ¥8.45

66.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿654

$14.71 ¥98.5

33.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$3.71 ¥24.82

-7.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿380

$9.60 ¥64.3

18.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.6

$1.67 ¥11.18

78.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.2

$1.54 ¥10.31

9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.7

$1.78 ¥11.95

24.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.1

$1.20 ¥8.06

80.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$0.82 ¥5.51

85.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.67

$1.21 ¥8.08

10.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.67

$0.67 ¥4.51

68.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.75 ¥4.99

-26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.18 ¥34.69

-17.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿637

$13.37 ¥89.6

42.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.4

$1.06 ¥7.07

67.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.43 ¥16.29

14.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.4

$0.31 ¥2.09

619.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿759

$8.99 ¥60.2

152.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$1.68 ¥11.26

80.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.15

$0.36 ¥2.39

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$6.29 ¥42.11

-38.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.77

$1.26 ¥8.45

18.25%

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

$26.6K ฿887.3K

$19.3K ¥129.1K

37.94%

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

$27.0K ฿902.2K

$17.4K ¥116.3K

55.68%

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

$102 ฿3,420

$92.8 ¥622

10.41%

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

$11.33 ฿378

$6.26 ¥41.90

80.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿581

$7.50 ¥50.2

132.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,738

$16.46 ¥110

216.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿370

$10.46 ¥70.1

5.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$7.57 ¥50.7

1.59%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$639 ¥4,279

-12.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿384.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,104

$55.1 ¥369

14.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿986

$34.81 ¥233

-15.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,272

$99.8 ¥668

-1.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,954

$122 ¥820

-27.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.6K

$328 ¥2,195

125.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.1K

$251 ¥1,683

91.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.3K

$646 ¥4,327

226.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.9K

$460 ¥3,084

166.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.7K

$5,379 ¥36.0K

-32.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.9K

$2,343 ¥15.7K

11.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

$1,183 ¥7,920

-58.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.54

57.34%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Last update for Tianjin: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $738 in Phuket and $328 in Tianjin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tianjin pays 140% 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 $24.00 in Tianjin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $224 per month, with Tianjin 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 Tianjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tianjin is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 140% lower in Tianjin. 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: $738 in Phuket versus $328 in Tianjin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $561 in Phuket versus $639 in Tianjin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $880 in Tianjin versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tianjin but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tianjin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tianjin 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 Tianjin 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 Tianjin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.