Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tieling

For one person, living is cheaper in Tieling: $726 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Tieling
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Tieling Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tieling

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tieling

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $726 in Tieling.

Phuket $1,278
Tieling $726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,140 in Tieling.

Phuket $2,216
Tieling $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,555 in Tieling.

Phuket $3,154
Tieling $1,555

Living in Phuket is roughly 76% more expensive than in Tieling, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tieling 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.08 ¥20.46

45.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$22.66 ¥151

43.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.14 ¥34.18

71.40%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.43 ¥16.12

16.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.48 ¥3.19

81.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.36 ¥2.37

36.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.87 ¥5.81

194.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.92 ¥12.78

91.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.52 ¥10.08

9.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.46 ¥16.37

-40.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.08 ¥7.17

38.89%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.05 ¥6.99

99.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$15.06 ¥100

26.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.33 ¥22.13

-0.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.73 ¥91.3

-20.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.73 ¥11.48

69.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.79 ¥11.89

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.53 ¥10.15

47.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.78 ¥11.80

16.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.73 ¥4.88

106.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.28 ¥8.50

7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.62 ¥4.10

72.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.54 ¥3.58

-3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.72 ¥24.70

12.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$15.24 ¥101

23.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.69 ¥4.57

163.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.13 ¥7.52

151.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.29 ¥1.92

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$16.93 ¥113

234.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.74 ¥4.90

308.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.16 ¥1.04

537.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.96 ¥19.66

24.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.30 ¥8.65

13.08%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$19.4K ¥129.1K

37.82%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$18.1K ¥120.0K

47.85%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$64.3 ¥427

49.82%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.30 ¥48.52

54.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$8.82 ¥58.6

91.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$35.95 ¥239

87.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.91 ¥106

-32.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.85 ¥25.58

94.81%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$539 ¥3,582

-11.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$21.4K ¥142.1K

-47.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$22.69 ¥151

174.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$14.74 ¥97.9

92.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$60.8 ¥404

55.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$70.1 ¥466

22.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$289 ¥1,920

147.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$190 ¥1,263

158.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$685 ¥4,554

181.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$343 ¥2,281

316.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,277 ¥21.8K

27.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,828 ¥12.1K

66.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$686 ¥4,561

-26.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.25

71.38%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tieling: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tieling

$190 26.2% 61.3% $301

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tieling

$236 32.5% 11.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tieling

$80 11.1% 35.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tieling

$76 10.4% 37.9% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tieling

$81 11.1% 33.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tieling

$44 6% 46.9% $39

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tieling

$20 2.7% 72.2% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $289 in Tieling. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tieling pays 37% 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 $23 in Tieling for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $236 per month, with Tieling cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Tieling

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

09:45 9:45 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

699,675

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Tieling 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tieling

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 Tieling: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tieling is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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 $289 in Tieling. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $539 in Tieling. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $726 in Tieling versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Tieling but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tieling 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 Tieling gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.