Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tianjin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tianjin: $854 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Tianjin
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Tianjin Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tianjin

🇨🇳 China

$854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tianjin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $854 in Tianjin.

Phuket $1,278
Tianjin $854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,361 in Tianjin.

Phuket $2,216
Tianjin $1,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,868 in Tianjin.

Phuket $3,154
Tianjin $1,868

Living in Phuket is roughly 50% more expensive than in Tianjin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tianjin 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.18 ¥27.81

6.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$24.41 ¥162

32.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.85 ¥38.90

50.60%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.06 ¥26.99

-30.30%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.47 ¥3.16

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.28 ¥1.87

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.00 ¥6.63

156.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.76 ¥11.68

109.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.44 ¥9.57

15.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.34 ¥15.57

-37.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.67 ¥11.11

-10.18%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.32 ¥8.81

58.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$14.78 ¥98.3

29.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.74 ¥24.91

-11.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.76 ¥65.0

11.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.64 ¥10.88

78.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.54 ¥10.23

9.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.76 ¥11.72

27.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.18 ¥7.87

76.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.89 ¥5.93

69.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.17 ¥7.77

17.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.68 ¥4.50

57.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.71 ¥4.72

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.40 ¥35.94

-22.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.65 ¥90.9

37.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.03 ¥6.88

76.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.55 ¥16.96

11.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.31 ¥2.06

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$8.82 ¥58.7

542.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.70 ¥11.29

77.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.38 ¥2.54

168.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.34 ¥42.21

-41.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.26 ¥8.41

16.67%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$19.1K ¥127.4K

39.83%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$17.9K ¥119.3K

48.88%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$93.1 ¥620

3.48%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.38 ¥42.44

76.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$7.71 ¥51.3

118.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$17.02 ¥113

295.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$10.54 ¥70.2

1.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.56 ¥50.3

-0.79%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,293 ¥8,605

-63.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$56.1 ¥373

11.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$28.58 ¥190

-0.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$111 ¥741

-15.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$139 ¥924

-38.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$362 ¥2,406

98.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$213 ¥1,418

130.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$868 ¥5,775

122.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$462 ¥3,076

209.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,773 ¥31.8K

-12.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,240 ¥14.9K

35.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,173 ¥7,803

-57.17%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tianjin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tianjin

$213 24.9% 56.6% $278

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tianjin

$226 26.5% 15% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tianjin

$107 12.6% 13.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tianjin

$151 17.7% 23.7% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tianjin

$111 13% 8.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tianjin

$32 3.8% 60.9% $50

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tianjin

$14 1.6% 80.6% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $362 in Tianjin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tianjin pays about 2.3 times 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 $24 in Tianjin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $226 per month, with Tianjin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Tianjin

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

13,866,009

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Tianjin 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tianjin

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 Tianjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tianjin is about 33% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 57% 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 $362 in Tianjin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,293 in Tianjin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $854 in Tianjin versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 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.

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 Tianjin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.